Knight of Gotham: Split
by Kuraun15
Summary: The sequel to Knight of Gotham: Muscle Bound and the third book in the Knight of Gotham series. Batman faces an enemy that will stir him to the core: a man he used to know as Harvey Dent. Now the sinister and insane Two-Face, Dent is not only a criminal with nothing to lose, he is joined by a man called Deathstroke. Rated T for violence and disturbing content.
1. Chapter 1

Knight of Gotham: Split

CHAPTER I

As Slade drove down the road, he looked this way and that for any oncoming police cars. "There's no way they haven't put a BOLO out on me," he said to himself. He checked his rearview mirror for the fourteenth time in as many minutes. "You're just paranoid," he said, again to himself, "Just calm down. Drive normally." He wiped his brow, beads of sweat rolling down his face. He looked at his speedometer, realizing he was way over the speed limit. He slowed down, entering a part of the city filled with different shopping centers. He parked in front of a JC Penny, getting out and saying, "I need new clothes." The store was closed, but that wouldn't stop someone like him. He carefully picked the lock on the door, deactivating the alarm. He went inside, going to the men's section. There he found expensive suits, including Armani and Gucci. He tried on several, looking at himself in the mirror each time. Eventually, he decided to go with an Armani. "Looks good," he said. He then proceeded to raid the cash registers with just enough for gassing up the car and other essentials. With that, he walked out, heading to the car. He jumped in, starting it and driving out of the parking lot. The suit somehow made him feel more at ease, and so he drove like it was a normal day. The rest of the night consisted of driving aimlessly and refilling when needed. He couldn't risk staying anywhere. When morning came, he went to Wal-Mart to buy some breakfast. He simply bought a sandwich, walking to a register. The girl behind the register looked at him, her eyes widening.

Slade began to fear that she recognized him as the now-famous doctor killer, but she whispered excitedly, "Are you Jesse Spencer? What are you doing here?" Slade didn't respond for a second, not really knowing who it was that the girl seemed to think he was. But he responded anyway, "Oh, I'm just passing through." "Oh, I love your accent!" said the girl excitedly. Luckily, both Jesse Spencer and Slade were native Australians, and so one could pass off as the other. "Thanks," said Slade, wanting to get out of there. The girl rang up the sandwich, saying, "Okay, that'll be three dollars and thirty-two cents, Mr. Spencer." She laughed giddily as Slade handed her the money. "Well, thank you," said Slade with a fake smile. The girl laughed again, saying, "You're very welcome, Mr. Spencer." Slade walked out, getting in the car and saying, "Jesse Spencer? I don't even know…" He started driving down the road once again. "Time to head for some big business," he said. He was near the city limits when a large black SUV suddenly pulled out in front of him. Slade slammed on the brakes, but that didn't help. He careened into the car, the airbag deploying and hitting him in the face. The blow knocked him unconscious. As he was knocked out, two men in sunglasses and suits pulled him from the car, putting a hood over his face and throwing him into the back of a black van. They hopped in, closing the doors and saying to the driver, "Let's get him to the boss." The driver nodded, driving away from the scene of the crash.

Slade woke up in darkness. At least, that's what he thought it was, until the hood was pulled off his head. The sudden bright lights made him squint. He said angrily, "What is this, a 007 movie?" "Quite the opposite, Mr. Wilson," said an unseen woman. She stepped out from the shadows a second later. Slade stared. She had perfect dark skin, silky black hair drawn back into a tight bun, and she was wearing a business dress along with high heels. The final piece of her outfit: a .45 caliber handgun in her left hand, aimed directly at Slade's face. All the other people in the room were armed with the same weapon and dressed just as sharp. "All right, all right, what is it you want?" asked Slade, annoyed. "I want your particular services," said the woman. "Who's paying?" asked Slade, suddenly interested. "That's not pertinent," said the woman, "All that is…is how much we're paying." She held up a check. Slade raised his eyebrows, saying, "That's a lot of money." "Which is exactly why we expect you to take this job," said the woman. "What _is _the 'job', anyway?" asked Slade. "Like I said, we need your _particular _services," replied the woman. "Yes, I realize you want someone dead," said Slade, "But _who_?" The woman said, "Here's his photo." She held up his target's picture. Slade said, "Looks pretty clean-cut. What's your problem with him?" "He's not as clean-cut as he seems," said the woman, "That's why. Also, keep in mind he doesn't look exactly like this anymore." "Got it," said Slade, "I'll find him. Do I kill him right away?" "That's not required," said the woman, "Only observe him at first. You need a probable cause, at least, if you want to kill him." Slade nodded, ready.

"What happened to him?" asked Slade suddenly. The woman said, "You'll find out if you ask him. Then again, it's not too hard to tell." "Interesting," said Slade, "So, to be clear, it'll be _my _decision as to when I kill him?" "Unless you take too long," said the woman, "And all you need to know about him…he's inside the Gotham city limits. That is all. Time to go to sleep." As one of the men in suits walked up behind Slade with a cloth, Slade said, "Oh, you're talking about chloroform, aren't y…" The man in the suit forcefully placed the cloth over Slade's face. After a few seconds, he withdrew it. Slade was still awake, saying, "Real funny." He looked back at the man in the suit, saying, "You might want to douse that thing a little more. It's…difficult to knock me out." The man did as Slade said, and by this time the fumes were enough to make the man woozy. He put it over Slade's face once more, and right before he went unconscious, Slade said, "G'day, mates." The woman said, "Keep tabs on him. If he doesn't find his target soon enough, take him out and find someone else." "Yes, Ms. Waller," said one of the men in suits. A few hours later, Slade woke up on a park bench, dressed as a homeless person, albeit with a smart phone. It rang, and Slade answered it, saying, "You couldn't have just dropped me in a penthouse?" "I don't think you'd really prefer that," said Ms. Waller. Slade nodded, saying, "You're right. At least I'm lying low this way. Wait a minute." He felt his hair. It was short and choppy, not at all how he usually styled it.

Angry, Slade said loudly, "You SUCK! What did you do to my hair?!" Ms. Waller said, "Well, a homeless man can't have _too _nice of a haircut, can he?" "Yes, he CAN," said Slade, angrier, "I bet you're smiling on your end, aren't you?" "See for yourself," said Ms. Waller. Slade looked all around, eventually seeing Ms. Waller sitting on a bench about fifty yards away. She was, in fact, smirking. Slade immediately lifted his middle finger high in the air, like a beacon of offensiveness. He lowered it after a few seconds, and Ms. Waller said, "Now that you've vented properly, I'll let you know that we have supplied you with all you need." Slade looked up and all around once more, saying, "I don't see anything! What are you talking about?" Ms. Waller said, "Look about three hundred feet to the west." Slade did as he was told, seeing a mausoleum. "You want me to kill this guy with some dead guy's arm, or what?" asked Slade. "It's not what's _in _the mausoleum," said Ms. Waller, "It's what's beneath it. Check your left back pocket." Slade reached into it, pulling out a small remote with a single button. "And this does…?" said Slade. "Walk to the mausoleum," said Ms. Waller. Slade, though at this point skeptical, was still curious, and so he listened and obeyed. When he reached it, he said, "So I just push the button now, I'm guessing?" "Yes," said Ms. Waller. Slade looked down at the remote and then back up at the entrance to the mausoleum, sighing. He pushed the button, and he heard a shifting from inside the mausoleum, like rocks scraping up against each other.

Slade looked around one last time, making sure no one was watching him aside from Ms. Waller. He then proceeded to open the mausoleum. It was incredibly dark on the inside. "Go inside," said Ms. Waller. Slade, though slightly suspicious, turned and walked inside, closing the door behind him. Immediately, lights flickered on. He found himself three feet from recently dead bodies on either side. He coughed, the stench overwhelming. He looked down at the floor, seeing an open spot with stairs leading into darkness. Slade walked down the stairs cautiously, his hands up in case he needed to defend himself. He reached the bottom of the stairs in a few seconds, realizing it suddenly felt as if he was in a larger space than before. He held the phone up to his ear, saying, "Do I still get a signal down here?" "Yes," said Ms. Waller, "Are you down the stairs?" "Yeah," said Slade, "Now what?" Ms. Waller said, "Turn to your left. There's a light switch on the wall." Slade did as Ms. Waller said, feeling his way around the wall to his left, until his hand landed on what felt like a switch. He flipped it upwards, and the room lit up. He turned, seeing he was in a room about the size of an average apartment. The walls were lined with TV monitors and computers. Directly opposite from Slade, there stood a large, black, ornate, wooden cabinet. "This is nice," said Slade, "But you could've made this a man cave. _That _would have been more fun." "That's not what we're concerned with, Mr. Wilson," said Ms. Waller. Slade rolled his eyes.

A second later, Ms. Waller said, "I saw that." Shocked, Slade stood completely still, looking around. "But…" he began. Ms. Waller said, "Look in the corner in front of you." Slade looked, seeing a security camera. "Of course," said Slade, "Can't let a mercenary run amok without proper surveillance." "If you could, Mr. Wilson," said Ms. Waller, "please refrain from flipping me off again." "Quite the challenge, if I do say so myself," said Slade, still severely annoyed, "Now, do I take a look in that cabinet, there?" "Yes," said Ms. Waller, "I think you'll be quite pleased." Slade approached it, opening up its left side. He smiled, seeing all manner of weaponry. His favorite, however, was set carefully in the center. He pulled it out. It was a large, well-made broadsword. Slade put the phone on speaker and set it on a nearby desk. He then ran one hand down the sword's blade, firmly grasping the hilt with his other hand. He whispered happily, "Damascus steel. Nice." "Indeed," said Ms. Waller, "It's hand-made." Slade laughed, saying, "I think I'm actually starting to like you." "I'm afraid the feeling isn't mutual," said Ms. Waller. "All right, woman," said Slade, "Way to ruin the mood." "The 'mood', as you put it, isn't my priority," said Ms. Waller. "You know what?" said Slade, "I'm done with that. What else do I have?" "Are you rushing me because you want to stop talking to me?" asked Ms. Waller, seemingly amused. Slade rolled his eyes again, saying, "_What else do I have_?" "Look in the right side," said Ms. Waller. Slade put the sword back in its place, closing the left side and opening the right.

"Do you remember your old ASIS uniform?" asked Ms. Waller, as Slade's jaw dropped. The suit that stood before him was modeled exactly like his old uniform, with a design focused primarily on stealth. The armor that would go around his chest was made of carbon fiber, and was colored pitch black. Plating was included on black military cargo pants and combat boots. The piéce de résistance was a sleek, black mask. Slade looked at it for a few seconds, eventually grabbing it. He held it in his hands, seeing how the mask was made. "Reminiscing?" asked Ms. Waller. "No," said Slade, "This just reminds me of an old job." Ms. Waller hung up, and Slade smirked, still staring at the mask.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER II

The night before, when I went to sleep, I was immediately assaulted by dreams. The one I remember best was also the worst. I saw the whole thing in third person. It began with me. Just me. No one else. I was standing stock still in the middle of a large, dark space. There was a beam of light surrounding me. By far the most unsettling aspect even at this point was my face. I was simply staring straight ahead, tear tracks running down my face. My mouth was void of expression, and my eyes didn't blink once. But what was I staring at? The light expanded, growing in diameter until it was around two other people: my parents. _Not this again, _I thought. I waited, but nothing seemed to happen for a couple seconds. Even stranger, unlike in other dreams of mine, my parents weren't bleeding or sad. They looked happy to see me. But why didn't I seem happy? I got my answer soon enough. Two gunshots rang out, and as they fell, they slowly morphed into Dick and Alfred. They died, their eyes still open. "You could never have saved your parents," said a mocking, familiar voice, "And I guarantee you won't save them." The light expanded for the last time, revealing Harvey Dent. Not White Knight. Harvey Dent. His face was uncovered, the left side as decimated as when I saw it last. He was grinning widely, and for a moment he reminded me of the Joker. But this was different. The Joker was insane, yet somehow amiable and philosophic. What I saw on Harvey Dent's face was more…menacing, more mindless. The malice I'd felt facing Bane was nothing next to Harvey Dent. He seemed to have no warmth in his face or any other piece of his being.

I woke up in a cold sweat, breathing raggedly. I sighed, covering my face for a minute. Soon enough, I let my hands drop to the surface of my bed, looking up and groaning. I rubbed my forehead, throwing off the sheets. My feet hit the floor, and I got up, grabbing my cane. I hobbled into the kitchen, seeing Dick already preparing bacon. Without looking back at me, he said, "Morning, Gregory." "Morning, Dick," I said, without any humor. Dick looked at me, saying, "What's up with you?" "Just a dream," I said. "Dude, you're about ready to drown in your own sweat," said Dick, "That tells me it wasn't 'just' a dream." I sighed, saying, "Fine." I described the dream. By the end, Dick was turned towards me, giving me his full attention. "I get it," he said, "You're scared because you let Dent go. And now you think he'll come after me and Alfred." I shook my head, saying, "Yeah, something like that. Watch the bacon." Dick widened his eyes, quickly turning and getting the bacon out of the skillet and onto a plate. "Thanks," said Dick. "Don't mention it," I said. Dick walked over to the table, followed closely by myself. Dick set down the bacon, and we just grabbed whatever we wanted and ate it. Halfway through my first piece, I said, "So how you holding up?" "After last night?" said Dick, "Fine, considering, I guess. But I just can't get Harvey Dent out of my head. I mean, poor guy..." "If only it had gone another way for him," I said, finishing the thought.

Dick nodded, saying, "Living with so much hate and anger…it would eat me up." "I don't know about that," I said, "Truth be told, humans like to be angry, they like to hate. It's a terrible thing, but we just keep making the excuse that it 'comes in handy'." "So you're saying anyone could end up like he did?" asked Dick. "Given the right circumstances, probably," I said. "Man, we are messed up," said Dick. "Never heard anything truer," I said. "You got any news on Bane?" asked Dick. "I don't know, let me check," I said, getting up. I went to my room, grabbing my phone. I called Jim Gordon, saying, "Jim. What's Bane's status?" Jim answered, "Sulking. He'll be in a cozy cell of his own in just a little while. And…" He trailed off. I said, "Yes? And…?" "The Joker wants to talk to you again." I didn't speak for a few seconds. I already had an inkling of what he wanted to talk about. Probably something about the twisted nature of humans and more specifically Gotham. "I'll be there soon," I said. "Sounds good," said Jim, "I've got to go. My daughter won a photography contest." _Must be Barbara_, I thought. "By the way, you figured out who's been taking pictures of me and sending them to the paper?" "No," said Jim, sighing, "Why?" "Just curious," I said, smiling, "I'm about to leave. Tell the Joker I'll be there." "Got it," said Jim, hanging up. I stood, and Dick saw my smile, saying, "What's got you so happy?" "Your girlfriend's a smart one," I said. Dick rolled his eyes, saying, "She's not my girlfriend! She's hot, but she's not…you know what, you're not going to let this go anyway." "Nope," I said smugly. Dick said, "I wish you knew what having a conversation like this is like." I furrowed my brow and opened my mouth, but decided against speaking, instead closing my mouth and shaking my head slightly. "What?" asked Dick, as I walked out of the manor and out to the Batcave.

I suited up, setting down my cane. "That's better," I said, stretching. I sighed, satisfied, and hopped in the Batmobile. I sped down the back roads to Arkham Asylum. When I got there, I made a beeline for the Joker. I said to the guard posted at his cell, "I understand he wants to talk to me." The guard nodded, unlocking the cell and letting the Joker out. The guard and I led the Joker to a cell in solitary. We went inside, and the Joker sat down on the floor. I leaned on the wall. The Joker looked me in the eye and said, "You got any Halls cough drops? I've been feeling dry down there." I shook my head, saying, "What do you want?" The Joker said, "Right to the point, all the time! You got to take it slow sometimes! Seriously, take a page out of Jamaica's book." I rolled my eyes, staying silent. The Joker seemed interested, his eternal smile changing to a smirk. "You know," he said, looking at the floor, "It's kind of funny. Your mother's maiden name was Arkham, right?" "Yeah," I said reluctantly, "What's that got to do with anything?" "Nothing," said the Joker, looking back up at me, "I just thought it was funny. Amadeus Arkham kept this place as a house, and his kids and their kids lived here. That included your mother. And now, you make regular visits." "So it's funny to you because it's ironic," I said. The Joker nodded, saying, "Now, down to business. Heard you took the big guy down." "Bane," I said, "Yeah, he's about to be locked up." "Success, then, sir, success," said the Joker, clapping ceremoniously.

"What are you really wanting?" I asked. The Joker stopped clapping, his hands still suspended in the air. He seemed to be spaced out. "JOKER," I said loudly. He shook his head, saying, "Sorry, my train of thought derailed. There were no survivors. Oh, wait, here's one. Doesn't look too good, though." "Dent," I said. The Joker held up his pointer finger, saying, "Ah, no, not Dent. I already told you. He'd be better as Two-Face now." "I'm not going to start calling him Two-Face," I said. "Doesn't mean I can't," said the Joker, "What's your problem with giving him a name, anyway?" "He went through something like I did," I said, "It was just his choices. I'm not going to dehumanize him with a joking name." "Dehumanize?" said the Joker, scoffing, "Like you've done to yourself? Don't tell me I can't see those ears on your mask." I sighed, saying, "I didn't make this." "Doesn't matter," said the Joker, "You still cease to be Bruce Wayne when you step into that suit." "At least I can step _out_," I said, "Dent doesn't have a choice. He's stuck with that face of his. The face _you _gave him, mind you." "What can I say?" said the Joker nonchalantly. I stared at the Joker menacingly. The Joker said, "Ooh, scary. Come on, man. Even though I am responsible for his face, it was Joseph who wanted it this way." "What do you mean?" I asked. The Joker, "This guy, Joseph…it seems to me he likes to see people deconstructed, stripped of themselves. He wants to see what's underneath. For me, it was revenge and strangely, a humorous frame of mind. For Bane, it was malice and a thirst for useless conquest. For our friend Two-Face…it's darkness and criminal insanity." I looked down at the floor, not wanting to admit he was right.

Still looking at the floor, I said, "He didn't seem insane when last I saw him." "Really?" asked the Joker, raising his eyebrows, "Not even a small show of insanity presented itself when you saw him last?" I quickly looked back up to the Joker, beginning," No, I…" I trailed off, clenching my teeth and closing my eyes. I rubbed the bridge of my nose, saying, "Fine, yes. I saw something." I remembered how Dent parted with me and Dick. His final words to us weren't as important as how he said them. There was a craze behind them, an unseen mass of unbalance. The Joker laughed, saying, "Well, in that case, he's either spiraling or he's already nuts!" I stopped, saying, "Wait. You haven't ever used the word 'nuts' to represent insanity. What do you mean?" "I was hoping you would catch that," said the Joker, "What I mean is: there's a difference between plain crazy and nuts. I'm plain crazy. If someone were nuts, that would mean they show signs of increased, even animalistic aggression. It would mean their concept of mercy is gone. Being nuts isn't only criminal insanity, it's violent insanity. When you see Two-Face next, expect to see some blood on him." This comment made my sorrowful thoughts towards Dent even worse. The Joker rolled his eyes, saying, "Look, you can't avoid the fact that _this guy is out of his mind_. He's going to definitely going to kill someone, and he's going to try to kill you. And even worse, he's got nothing to lose. That's the worst kind of criminal. They can do whatever they want, because hey, being in jail wouldn't be worse than being out in the world for them." "Is that all?" I said. "Yeah," said the Joker, "I've given you enough food for thought. Your mind might get pudgy if you don't get a move on now." I opened the cell door, walking out. Behind me, I heard the Joker say loudly, "JERRY! How are you? I see you've got some fettuccine there! Very nice!" I walked out of Arkham, getting into the Batmobile and leaving quickly.

On my way back to Wayne Manor, I took off my mask, running my hand through my hair and sighing. I covered my mouth with the same hand, thinking about Dent. He was a tragic figure to me, a lost man like I was. I honestly didn't want what had happened to him. I wished there was another way he could've gone. "No use in wishing," I said to myself. When I reached the Batcave, Dick had his feet up on the computer desk, leaning back in a chair. "What're you doing here?" I asked. "Whenever you come back from a conversation with that guy, you seem emotionally conflicted," said Dick. "So you knew it was the Joker and you're wanting to see how I'm doing," I said, "Thanks, but I'm fine. Really." "You don't seem fine," said Dick, "That expression doesn't lie." I looked at my reflection in one of the glass screens in front of the suits. I was wearing a saddened and unsure expression. I sighed, saying, "It's Dent. The Joker says he'll be worse than ever before. He says he'll kill more than before." "The Joker's usually right," said Dick, "He may be crazy, but maybe listen to him now. The bottom line is, whether you like it or not, you're going to have to take down Harvey Dent." "The Joker called him Two-Face," I said. "That might be better," said Dick, "If you feel sorry for this guy, disconnecting him from his true identity might help." "That feels like cheating," I said. Dick shrugged, and I hung up the suit, wondering if I had the strength to take down someone like me.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I WILL NOT BE UPDATING KNIGHT OF GOTHAM NEXT WEEK, RATHER, I WILL UPDATE MAN OF TOMORROW, THE REASON BEING THAT I'LL LITERALLY BE ON A MOUNTAIN FOR MOST OF NEXT WEEK.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER III

At the abandoned hangar lair that Joseph had been residing in, Cerberus was speaking to Joseph about the next steps they should take, considering what had happened to White Knight. Joseph was saying, "Are you all packed?" "Yes, sir," said Cerberus, "We should be ready to move out in a little while. I've been meaning to ask…why are we leaving?" Joseph said, "It's not likely White Knight will come back here – you saw how he was when he left – but he still could. We have to prepare for that eventuality. The state he's in, he'll reveal us all if he comes here. He'll shout our location from the rooftops. It's not like he has anything better to do." Cerberus said, "True. Are we going on to the next name?" "Once we finish moving our operations," said Joseph, "We might be a while with that." "Do you have a location in mind?" asked Cerberus. "I'm thinking about it," said Joseph, "We at least have to find a place with a dry, natural underground pool." "For you 'baths', right?" asked Cerberus. "Yes," said Joseph, "I'll conduct the search myself, of course. It's not very courteous to intrude while a man is bathing." "I'll tell the others to keep back, then," said Cerberus. "Yes, thank you," said Joseph. "Should we leave Bane alone?" asked Cerberus. "He can't do anything," replied Joseph confidently, "The only person we let anything slip to was that fool Chill, and we took care of him. We're not nearly as careless now, so I don't see the problem with his survival." "Maybe Batman is whoever Chill leaked the info to," asserted Cerberus, "Maybe it's even the guy whose parents he killed, Bruce Wayne." "No," said Joseph, "If Bruce Wayne was a hero of the night and wanted to hide it, he'd make it look like he hated Batman. Instead, he just doesn't care. A man who doesn't try to involve himself with Batman can't be Batman himself." Cerberus nodded, walking out and giving orders to the other disciples.

And now we return to the broken, shivering man the Joker named Two-Face. Since the night before, he'd been sleeping in the run-down gas station he found, clutching his handgun tightly. The left side of his face still stung terribly. Fortunately for him, the owners of the station had neglected to remove the things in stock in the convenience store there. And so, when Two-Face woke, he got up and went in there. He searched shelves, finding a single box of artificial tears. He opened it up eagerly and dropped a few on his burning left eye. He sighed with relief, smiling with the release from pain. He realized he was hungry. Again, as luck would have it, the owners had cleared out not too long before Two-Face got there. Most of the foodstuffs weren't expired, and many liquid products were still drinkable. Two-Face took advantage of this, flipping on a breaker switch. The city hadn't pulled the electricity from the station yet, so all of the lights flickered on. Two-Face turned off all but the lights in the refrigerated sections, also keeping on the cold. He waited until he was sure it was at a pleasant temperature. After that, he grabbed himself a bag of chips and a can of Bud Light. After popping open the can, Two-Face stared at the logo, saying roughly, "A step down from vintage wine in your office, isn't it, Harvey?" He suddenly furrowed his brow and shook his head a little bit.

He turned towards a door in the refrigerated section. "What?" he said in a softer, more human voice. The ravenous voice returned, and he turned his head so the reflection off the door was mostly his left side. He said, "Look at you. You rat! Higher class of criminal, my foot. You're lower than ever before right now." Two-Face turned his head the opposite direction, so his more human side was the majority. "I don't…what?" he said, seemingly scared, "What are you?" The snarling side said, "I'm your wolf in sheep's clothing. I'm White Knight. I'm what he was all along. I'm a magnified product of yourself." Two-Face paused, confused. He shook his head, saying, "N-no. I'm not White Knight anymore. He's gone." White Knight said, "Keep deluding yourself and you'll never get out of here. I've always been here. I've always been seething beneath the surface, waiting for you to crack." Two-Face said, "NO. You're not going to take me! I'm going to stay me!" White Knight snickered evilly, saying, "Right, right. Like you haven't lost yourself. Like you're strong enough. You're weak! You hate yourself! And it's no fun for me." Two-Face sat down hard, dropping the can and the bag. He covered his face with his hands, saying in anguish, "I'm not for you to have FUN WITH! I'm my own person! I used to be you! I'm not going back!" He paused again, his face still covered. Soon, however, an eerie laugh issued from his mouth. It was different than the Joker's. This was more mocking, more torturous.

"Weakling," said White Knight. He uncovered his face, for now his personality fully engulfed. He stepped outside, taking in the sunlight. The station was in a piece of the Gotham underground, a desolate place full of darkness. Vagrants and depraved maniacs of all kinds dwelled right alongside honest people who'd fallen on hard times. It was one of these aforementioned vagrants who had the misfortune of meeting Two-Face in his volatile condition. This was a middle-aged man named Andy who'd fallen on terribly hard times simply because he lived in the Gotham underground. He had with him a knife. When he came across Two-Face, he only saw the right side of his face. Naturally, he assumed that this tuxedo-clad man was rich. Though he couldn't think of any reason why such a rich man would be in the underground, all that mattered to him was the money he knew was waiting for him. He stuck his blade right behind Two-Face, saying, "Don't move, or I shish-kebab your heart." Two-Face turned his head, so the potential robber saw the left side of his face. The robber saw the horribly damaged, reddened flesh, and he stumbled backwards away from it. He said, "I don't want any trouble, man." "Thought you did a second ago," said Two-Face, the White Knight persona in full control. He looked down at his own handgun.

"Look, I'm sorry," said the robber, holding up his hands, "Just don't do anything to me." "Why'd you back off?" asked Two-Face, seemingly calm, "Is it the face?" "No, man," said the robber, trying to save himself, "Nothing like that. Your face is fine." Two-Face slowly walked towards the robber, saying, "You sure? 'Cause that really sounds like a lie to me." He pulled the hammer on his gun backwards. The robber was backing up, but soon he found himself up against a wall. And Two-Face was still getting closer. He said, "You don't like my face. It's understandable, but it's also just a _little _insulting." The robber was terrified, saying, "L-look, I backed off. Isn't that what matters? Let's just go our own ways." "I don't think you understand the word _insulting_," said Two-Face menacingly, "So how about I teach you." He was three feet from the robber. He aimed his gun at the robber's face. Suddenly, Harvey Dent resurfaced, saying, "Wait. Let's not." White Knight came back, saying angrily, "No! This idiot has to pay!" "Does he really?" said Dent, "We could let him go with a warning." "You know what, let's just settle this," said White Knight, taking out his ruined coin. He held it in front of his face, looking the robber in the eye, saying, "Heads, you walk. Tails…not so much." The robber was dead silent. Two-Face flipped the coin, catching it and flipping it over onto his other wrist. He kept the coin covered for a minute. "Come on, man, just uncover it!" said the robber loudly and desperately. "Hold on," said Two-Face, "I'm savoring this." The robber was close to tears, wondering if his life would end here.

Two-Face slowly lifted his hand, and sighed, putting the coin back in his pocket. He lowered his gun, slowly resting the hammer. "You win," he said to the robber, "But next time, maybe your luck won't be so good. Move." The robber smiled slightly and ran away, happy that he would survive. But he made sure never to meet Two-Face again. Two-Face stood still, and the Harvey Dent side said, "So, is that how everything's going to go now?" "May as well," said White Knight, "It's quick." "Yeah," said Dent, "Where to?" White Knight said, "Deeper into the underground. The upper part of Gotham would cast us out in a second. I like it here better anyway." Dent felt a sinister thought creep from his other side. "What are you thinking?" said Dent. "I think we can make ourselves king here," said White Knight, "And we can have fun doing it." "Where do we start?" asked Dent. "Anywhere we want," said White Knight, "We're going to be a king, remember?" Dent looked to the ascending skyline of the underground. "All right," said Dent, "Let's take our crown." Two-Face stepped into the mass of dark buildings, striding past scared people. Dent kept himself under control, but occasionally White Knight would snarl at a passing citizen. They would jump back in fear. White Knight eventually said, "This'll be a blast. The police presence here is miserable." "Let's keep going, then," said Dent. Two-Face disappeared into the sea of people on the streets of the Gotham underground.

Meanwhile, the man who'd tried to hold up Two-Face ran up to a teenage girl with shoulder-length red hair and wearing an ensemble of a black hoodie, a Blink-182 shirt, skinny jeans, and purple Converse. He took off a button cam he'd been wearing, handing it to the girl and saying, "Here you go, Barb." Barbara Gordon took the cam, saying, "Thanks, Andy. You look like it was intense. I'll pay you twice the regular." She handed him three hundred dollars, and Andy said, "Thanks. This'll really help." "You're welcome, Andy," said Barbara. She paused, eventually looking Andy in the eye and saying, "You sure you want to keep doing this? I mean, you have two kids, and this is dangerous. You don't need to risk your life for me." "Barb, I'm a Marine," said Andy, "You don't have to worry. Besides, after what happened in that shop to Sharon…" He trailed off, choking up. He regained his composure, saying, "I'm just convinced that I'm safer out on the streets than in a shop that could get robbed." Barbara said, "How long has it been?" "Two years," said Andy sadly, "The pain's dulled, but it's still hard." Barbara said, "Come here." The two hugged momentarily, and after separating, Andy said, "Thanks for all this. I wouldn't make it out here if it wasn't for you. The kids will be excited when they hear I got a pay boost from Aunt Barbara." Barbara laughed, saying, "Andy, I told you, don't call me Aunt Barbara! We're not related at all!" As Andy walked off, he said, "Wasn't my idea to call you that. The kids know we're not related, they just don't care." He headed towards his house as Barbara smiled slightly. She went to her house, ready to download the footage from the cam.

Barbara sat down with her laptop, waiting for the footage to finish downloading. When it did, she saw Two-Face for the first time. This all started when a homeless guy tried to get in the gas station Two-Face was in, finding him in the bathroom, asleep. The homeless guy freaked, spreading the news everywhere. Andy caught wind of it and let Barbara know that a new job was coming up. And now, she was seeing the marred face of who used to be Harvey Dent. "Gnarly, dude," she said. She looked over the rest of the footage, satisfied. She looked at her calendar, specifically at the next day. She smiled as she read what she had written in all caps with a red marker: ADOPTION ANNIVERSARY.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER IV

And now we return to Slade. He'd been in his cemetery dwelling for about twelve hours now, and he'd been going around it and finding whatever he could to keep himself occupied. At the moment, he was fiddling with one of the computers given to him. The computer had been equipped with the necessary applications to allow it to easily access security and traffic cameras throughout Gotham. He thought maybe that his target was laying low, because he hadn't seen any news reports on him. He hadn't had any luck, however, though he'd been searching every obscure corner of Gotham. Well, that is, except for the underground. There wasn't a sufficient amount of any kind of cameras there, so he was practically blind in that area. He still had the phone that Ms. Waller had given him. He picked it up and called her. "Hey, lady," he said, "I think I might need to get into the underground." "I'd take a better liking to your request if you didn't refer to me as 'lady'," said Ms. Waller. "Well, what else could I call you?" said Slade, "You haven't told me your name." "Right now, I think 'Miss' would be enough," said Ms. Waller. "All right, 'Miss'," said Slade, annoyed, "How would we get all this stuff to the underground?" "All you need to pack is your uniform and your weapons," said Ms. Waller, "We already have a place set up in the underground. It was made just in case you ask the question you did just now." Slade turned to look at his uniform.

It was still full black. Something seemed missing to Slade. "Do you have any spray paint in here, or anything?" asked Slade. "Certainly not," said Ms. Waller, "After all, who knows if you'd just use it to cover up the security camera's lens?" "Can you send someone in here with some?" asked Slade. "Now, _that, _I can arrange," said Ms. Waller, "Give me a few minutes." "Sure thing," said Slade, hanging up. After he set the phone down, he spun around in his swivel chair and said to himself, "Don't have anything else to give, anyway." Slade, being a mercenary, was used to high-octane environments. This meant that even a few minutes without anything to do was enough to make him impatient. He was about to get mad when suddenly, he heard repeated clacking coming from the stairs. He was almost sent into high alert until he saw a man in a suit coming down the stairs, holding a box of spray paint. All kinds of colors were present. The man set the spray paint down on a table, staying right where he was. Slade looked at him and said, "How's the weather outside?" "Fine," said the man quickly. "Not much of a conversationalist, are you?" said Slade, smirking. "It's not what I was trained to be, sir," said the man in the same rapid fashion. "Your people say 'not' a lot, you know that?" said Slade, rummaging through the box. Soon, he came upon just what he was looking for. It was a can of orange spray paint. "You got some tape in here?" asked Slade, looking around the room, "Or are you concerned about the camera?" The man nodded in response to Slade's second statement, but he said, "The boss thought you'd need some, though." He handed Slade a roll of blue tape.

Slade immediately went to work, placing blue tape over the right side of the mask. He then shook up the can of spray paint for a few minutes. After that, he put the mask on a table, spray painting it. He went with two or three coats, making sure the color would turn out bright. The mask's left half was now bright orange. "Why orange?" asked the man, abandoning his regular speaking fashion. Slade looked at the man, saying with a grin, "It's an interesting choice, eh?" He looked back at the mask, saying, "I told your boss that this reminded me of an old job. Now, I can't tell you what it was, but I _can _tell you is that we had uniforms very similar to this suit, which is standard ASIS. Every person at my old job had a mask that had a certain color on the left side of their masks that would indicate rank: red was lowest, gold was up next, and black was highest. Now, me, I'm not any of those. I'm red, gold, and black combined. In a sense, I'm more than any of those other guys at my old job." "Interesting," said the man. "You don't really think that," said Slade, smirking. The man shrugged. Slade said, "I haven't tried this on yet, you know. I ought to. You can go when you need." The man nodded and left immediately. Slade got down to his underwear, standing in front of the suit. "Oh, this'll be cool," he said happily. He got in the suit. He equipped himself with the weapons he wanted. He stood in front of a mirror when he was finished. "I like," he said. He felt very pleased.

He strapped his broadsword onto his right hip, two Uzis onto his lower back, and his sniper rifle onto his upper back. He had two small hidden blades on his wrists and several fragment grenades hooked onto his belt. "Still missing…a little flair," said Slade. He looked at the clothes that Ms. Waller had given him to make him seem like a homeless man. There was a thin black shemagh among the other, cheaper articles of clothing. He picked it up, saying, "This'll work." He wrapped it around his neck, and he said, "I'm dressed to kill." He sighed, continuing, "But I'll have to dress to move now, I suppose." He changed back into the homeless man look, packing up all his weapons and his suit. He called Ms. Waller, saying, "You have any transportation for me?" "Wait outside the mausoleum," said Ms. Waller. Slade hung up and grabbed his cases, going outside. He looked around, deciding to sit on a nearby bench. He only had to wait a few minutes for a black SUV to drive up to a spot near Slade. He walked over to the car, and several of Ms. Waller's employees grabbed his bags and put them in the trunk. "Get in the back," said one man. Slade nodded, immediately getting in the driver's side back seat. "So, you're here to take me to the underground?" asked Slade. "Yes, sir," said the driver, "We'll be helping you get your things into the new location." "Then let's not waste anymore time talking," said Slade. All present in the car fell silent as they passed from the prosperous to the impoverished.

They drove up to a small, seemingly abandoned apartment building. Slade looked at the driver and said, "This the place?" The driver simply nodded, and the other men in the car helped Slade drag his stuff into the building. Inside, it was furnished with everything Slade found in the mausoleum, including a cabinet for holding his things. The cases were set down, and the men prepared to leave. Before they left, one man reached into his jacket and pulled out a photo. It was one of Slade's target. "The boss said you might need this," said the man. Slade took it, saying, "I might. But you shouldn't underestimate my skills." The man said, "We'll keep that in mind." The man nodded and left. Slade unpacked his bags, setting up the suit and the weapons. He stared at the orange-and-black mask, saying, "I'm back." Slade knew he had to begin his search immediately. It was starting to get late, and that was most likely when Slade's target would emerge. And so, he dressed in the homeless man outfit, walking down the street. He was well aware of the fact that several people were leering at him from dark alleys. But when they caught a glimpse of his face, they shrunk back and looked away. He kept the photo out at all times, checking it against what the people looked liked. He was only slightly discouraged at Ms. Waller's remark about what his target looked like now. Did he dye his hair? Has he gained weight? Was the photo he'd been given an old one? However, he was only, as said before, _slightly _discouraged. He was still confident enough in his ability to find people. He told himself that patience and energy was all he needed.

He stared at the photo. _What if the change in his appearance _is _negative?_, thought Slade. He did a visual sweep of the streets in front of him. His eyes landed on an old-looking bar called The Buzz. Under the name of the bar was a cartoonish, seemingly drunk bee. "There we go," said Slade, "The land of low self-esteem." Slade speed-walked to the bar, going inside. The atmosphere in the bar was chaotic. Men and women were tripping over themselves, spilling their drinks, and grinning like lunatics. There was even a young couple making out in the corner. Slade sneered, saying, "Underground, indeed." He turned from everyone else, looking for something out of the ordinary. On the right side of the room, there was the bar. Slade saw a man in a white tuxedo sitting directly in the middle section of the bar. He was spinning his shot glass, waiting for another drink. Slade sat down next to him, saying, "So, either you're not a happy drunk, or you're…" The man interrupted him, saying, "Just having a few drinks before I start my conquest." Slade looked around, seeing that no one aside from the two of them were seated at the bar. "Everybody cleared out?" asked Slade, "Why?" The man turned to face Slade, revealing the left side of his face. "That…makes sense," said Slade, taken aback. "At least you're more respectful than the last guy," said the man, turning back away, "Name's Harvey Dent. You?" "Slade Wilson," answered Slade. "Interesting name," said the man, this time with a strange rasp in his voice. "What happened to your voice, Harvey?" asked Slade, confused. "Oh, sorry," said White Knight, "I'm White Knight." Slade's eyes widened in realization.

Slade pointed at Two-Face and said, "Wait. You used to work for Joseph, right?" Two-Face suddenly turned to look at Slade, saying quietly yet savagely, "How do you know about Joseph?" Slade hesitated, but he knew he had to say. He responded, "I…was one of the five black disciples. I was Thanatos. I'd heard about you, but I'd never met you." "Surprising," said Two-Face, his two sides now momentarily unified, "I had authority over most of the disciples. I should have met you." "Wasn't there long," said Slade, "Cerberus shot me." "So you were burned by Joseph too?" asked Two-Face, raising his right eyebrow. "Yeah, you could say that," said Slade. "Course, in your case it's more figurative, but you know how it goes," said Two-Face, "Anyway, what're you doing down here?" "I'm looking for someone," said Slade, "Do you think maybe you could help?" "It's not my problem," said White Knight. Slade smiled and said, "Very true. In that case, I don't really need to be here anymore…" Slade trailed off and was about to get up when Harvey Dent reemerged and grabbed his arm, saying, "You looking for this guy out of your own free will?" Slade took a few seconds to answer, eventually saying, "…Not really. I mean, it's paid, but I have to do exactly what this person tells me." "Then why don't you do something a little more…freeing?" asked Two-Face. Slade said, "Like…?" Two-Face smiled and said, "Being a ruler. This place could be so easily subdued, and I want to do that. _You _could help _me_." "It does sound a little less boring," said Slade, "You know, the people who hired me set me up in an old apartment building. You could crash there." "I just might," said Two-Face. Two-Face and Slade shook hands, sealing the deal.

They went back to the apartment building, and as they went up to the entrance, Slade said, "You might want to go to a different apartment. My employers set up a security cam." Two-Face nodded, and a few minutes later Slade walked into the apartment Two-Face had chosen with two bottles of Bud Light. "Best that was in the mini-fridge they gave me," said Slade, handing Two-Face a bottle. "It's fine," said Two-Face, popping it open. The two new allies clinked their bottles together and drank.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER V

That very night, I had to go on patrol like always. I went to Dick, saying, "Let's head out." Dick nodded, and we went into the Batcave, suiting up. As we hopped in the Batmobile, Robin asked, "Who're we getting today?" "I have one guy in mind," I said, "Mr. Zsasz. Aside from him, we don't have anybody lined up." "I thought Mr. Zsasz was locked up," said Robin. I started up the Batmobile, pulling out of the Batcave. I responded, "He was until recently. He worked in the kitchen. Somebody had forgotten to get the trash out before the inmates began working. Zsasz found a tin can, tore it in half, and killed some guards. He managed to get out, but one of the surviving guards said he winged him." "So, I guess we look in hospitals, right?" asked Robin. I shook my head, saying, "Not with guys like Zsasz. If he even tried to get in, the police would be called. He'll be at a doctor's, just not the kind you'd expect." "Meaning…?" said Robin. I sighed and said, "We're looking for a veterinarian." "Well, this is different," said Robin. "Yeah," I said quietly, "Now, Zsasz is a pro. He won't go to a vet he thinks is remotely conspicuous. He'll look for something unknown, with barely any business." "I used to walk around when I was in the orphanage," said Robin, "I know some places." "All right, tell me where to go," I said. Robin gave me verbal directions, and soon, we pulled up to a small veterinary establishment. I said, "So, this is it?" Robin imitated a GPS, saying, "Your destination, on left." I nodded, and we both silently got out.

I opened the front door, hearing the small bell attached to the ceiling chime softly. Pained seething could be heard across the building. It stopped a second after I opened the door. I heard light scuffling, followed by complete silence. As Robin walked up behind me, I said, "Stay close." We headed towards the room I'd heard the sounds coming from. We came upon a scared vet holding a needle and thread. The needle was bloody, just like a pair of surgical pliers laid next to him. "Where's Zsasz?" I asked. The vet's eyes shifted, and it seemed he was looking over my right shoulder. I heard a rough, "Here," and I turned quickly. Zsasz, a thin man with ragged black hair, emerged, lunging out of the shadows wielding a hunting knife. I tried to avoid it, but Zsasz managed to plunge the knife into my upper arm. I drew back, grunting in pain. Zsasz prepared to punch me in the face, but Robin suddenly struck him in the knees with his bo staff. Zsasz growled angrily, turning to face Robin. Robin was a little shorter than Zsasz. Zsasz's eyes burned with rage, and he said, "You know how many brats like you I've killed?" "Doesn't matter to me, scumbag," said Robin. Zsasz went forward, about to tackle Robin. I acted first, kicking Zsasz in the back and knocking him away. Zsasz went to the vet's equipment drawer, taking a scalpel. He assumed a knife fight stance. He said menacingly, "You know why I have all these tally marks?" I answered, pained, "When you…kill someone, you take your knife…and carve a new tally to remind you of…what you've done." "A record of achievements, if you will," said Zsasz. I could feel myself getting faint. We had to do this fast. Zsasz looked at me mockingly. He knew I didn't have much time.

Robin charged Zsasz, but Zsasz quickly reacted, kicking Robin hard in the chest. Robin fell on his back, gasping for air. Zsasz turned back to me, saying, "Just you and me, Bats." "No one calls me Bats," I said weakly. I took an uncoordinated swing at Zsasz's head. He ducked, slicing my side with the scalpel. Robin was starting to get up, and I said, "Robin, get Alfred here." Robin nodded, running out to the Batmobile to contact Alfred. I fell on my back, my vision fading in and out. Zsasz stood over me, ready to deliver the killing blow. He said, "You know, I'm seriously considering just leaving you here to die. And you know what: maybe I should put down five tallies for this one. You're a big fish to catch, after all." Suddenly, the formerly petrified vet leaped up and stabbed Zsasz with the needle he'd been holding. Zsasz grunted in pain and knocked the vet aside. The needle was almost completely submerged in Zsasz's side. He looked at the vet sinisterly, saying, "Oh, you shouldn't have done that. I think I'll go after you now, instead." A second later, a voice with a posh-sounding British accent said, "Over here, you degenerate buffoon." Zsasz turned, seeing Alfred holding a shotgun. Zsasz's eyes widened, and Alfred quickly hit him over the head with the butt of the gun. Alfred smiled and said, "Ah. That made me feel twenty-five again." I grunted, saying, "Would that help you get over here?" Alfred nodded, kneeling next to me. I noticed he was wearing a ski mask.

I tried to keep myself awake, saying, "Thanks for coming so quickly, Alfred." The vet got up and said, "Do you need me to help?" Alfred turned and said, "You needn't trouble yourself, my good man. Go home and rest. You most certainly deserve it." The vet reluctantly nodded and left. When he was gone, Alfred said, "Well, I couldn't leave you now of all times, could I?" "I guess not," I said, smiling weakly. "This will be rather painful, Master Wayne," said Alfred. I grabbed some of my cape and chomped down on it. Alfred carefully, slowly pulled out the knife in my arm. I started shouting, the cape muffling the sound. Once Alfred finished, I spit out my cape and sighed, saying, "Where's Robin?" "I told him to wait outside," said Alfred, "Wouldn't want him to worry." "You mean like he always does?" I said. Alfred said, "I'm going to clean both of your wounds. This will hurt more, so put that cape of yours back in your mouth." I did as he said, taking deep breaths. As Alfred scrubbed and poured cleaning fluids onto my wounds, I shouted even louder, almost going into shock. Alfred finished after about two minutes, saying, "Master Wayne, you're almost out of the woods." I nodded, taking the cape out once again. Alfred took a needle, saying, "Here we are." He threaded the needle, sewing up my wounds. I grit my teeth and seethed. Soon enough, Alfred was finished. "Now, let's see if I can get you up," said Alfred. Slowly but surely, I stood, and Alfred helped me hobble out to the Batmobile. Robin was waiting outside. When he saw me, he said, "You going to be okay?" I breathed heavily, saying, "I'll survive." Robin ran up to me and Alfred, helping support me. They got me into the backseat of the Batmobile, and we drove back home.

On the way to Wayne Manor, I finally passed out from exhaustion and blood loss. I woke up in my bed, already dressed. I groaned, beginning, "What time…?" I heard Dick interrupted, "Eleven twenty-six. You've been out for about an hour." "And Zsasz?" I asked. "Locked up again, I imagine," replied Dick. I nodded, saying, "Good. At least he didn't get away." Dick looked at the floor, saying, "Yeah, but he did a number on you. You seemed…off. What's wrong?" I thought about it for a minute, eventually responding, "A…a lot of stuff, Dick. Dent, most of all. I keep thinking…he's _like me_. How can I go up against someone like me?" "You know you have to," said Dick, "That's got to help a little." I shook my head, saying, "No, it only makes it worse! I don't want to do anything to him! I could've helped before it was too late! I could've…" The pain in my side flared up, and I groaned, quieting. I finished, "I could've helped." Dick looked up at me, saying, "Look, if anything will help, maybe this: _now _you can do something." "That's what I'm worried about," I said, "If the Joker's right, nothing will bring Dent back from what he is now." "Well, then go with the idea that the Joker isn't right," said Dick, "And try." "I know I've said it before," I said, "But I just feel like I can't." Dick sighed, saying, "I'll let you rest." He stood up and walked out, leaving me alone. I let my head sink into my pillow, breathing steadily. I fell asleep, my concerns still running rampant.

What seemed just a few minutes later, I felt someone shaking me and saying, "Come on. You're going to need to see this." I looked at my clock. It really _had _been only a few minutes. I looked at whoever was shaking me. It was Dick. I rubbed my eyes and said, "Dick, I thought you were going to leave me alone." "Not with this," said Dick, "Come on, I'll help you up." Dick helped me stand, and we walked into the living room. "I was wide awake," said Dick, "So I flipped on the TV, and this was on." It was a breaking news report. The anchor was saying, "…video of the man was taken just a few hours ago in the underground. Several lawyers and police officers have confirmed that the man being filmed is Harvey Dent." I saw a button cam video of a strangely aggressive and creepy Harvey Dent, scars and all. "Who sent this video to the news?" I said. "It was anonymous," said Dick. I had a hunch that it was from Barbara Gordon, but I swatted away the idea. "Some freelancer, maybe?" I said, trying to wade through other possibilities. "It could be," said Dick, "But freelancers usually want to get paid. This one doesn't care about money." "Then, an undercover cop?" I said. Dick shook his head, saying, "The guys on the news thought so, too, but commissioner Gordon said they hadn't had any undercover ops in the underground at the time." I sighed, and Dick said, "You think you know who it is?" "Regrettably," I said, "yeah. I guess I'm going to have to exert myself a little earlier than expected. Come on." Dick and I made our way to the Batcave and suited up.

Meanwhile in the underground, Two-Face and Slade were finished discussing what they should do to get themselves seats of power. The cans of beer they'd been drinking were empty and crushed, lying on the stripped concrete floor. They'd decided to incite unrest within the already volatile environment of the underground. If they split the disgruntled population into several factions, they could lead one and take over all others. Two-Face knew how to convince, and Slade knew military tactics and how to kill. They had to skillfully integrate these points of their characters and build themselves up. Slade said, "So, when do we start?" "Whenever we want," said Two-Face. Slade said, "I got nothing going on right now." "Nor do I," said Two-Face. "In that case," said Slade, "First we got to take out the top dogs here. Now who would that be?" "The Sewer Rats," said Two-Face, "A bunch of dirty, testosterone-engorged idiots who rule through force. They have about half of the underground in their filthy little fists." "Where's their main spot?" asked Slade. "A nightclub not too far from here," said Two-Face. Slade smirked and said, "You know, for a guy who's only been here for about a day, you know this place pretty well." "I've been here before," said Two-Face. When Two-Face didn't expand on the subject, Slade decided to back off. Slade said, "Alright, then. I'll, uh, gear up, and we'll head out." "Sounds good to me," said Two-Face, "I'll be here." Slade walked into his room, suiting up and returning to Two-Face.

Two-Face looked Slade up and down, eventually saying, "Nice duds." "Yeah, the people who hired me modeled it after my old ASIS uniform," said Slade. "And ASIS is…?" said Two-Face. Slade said, "Oh, it's like the Australian version of MI6 or the CIA over here. I used to be an operative." "How old are you, exactly?" asked Two-Face. "Twenty-eight," said Slade. "Pretty young to be a mercenary," said Two-Face. "Not for me," said Slade, "Are we going?" Two-Face nodded, and the two went to set the groundwork for their underground empire.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER VI

Robin and I walked past the Batmobile, instead walking down the road and traveling along rooftops to arrive at the Gotham PD's HQ. As we got to the building's roof, Robin almost walked past me, but I pulled him back, saying, "Wait." "Why?" asked Robin, "Why would we need to be here?" "The person we're looking for just isn't here yet," I said, "We just have to wait a minute." Robin sighed and laid on his back, saying, "Fine. When do you think he'll show up?" "She," I said. Robin didn't respond for a few seconds. Eventually, however, he shot up to a standing position, saying, "Oh, no. No, no, no, no. Surely not _her_?" "Yes, her," I said. I paused, eventually continuing, "Are we talking about the same person?" "As long as we're both talking about that hot girl," said Robin. "If by 'hot girl' you mean Barbara Gordon, then yes," I said. Robin sighed emphatically, "I guess it makes sense. She takes all those pictures of me." "You mean us?" I asked. "Yeah, sure," said Robin passively, "When will she get here?" "You're getting a little more eager, aren't you?" I said. "Me?" said Robin, "Nah. I'm just…okay, maybe a little." "Don't worry about it," I said, "Just say nothing if you can." "Why, you think I'll embarrass myself?" said Robin skeptically. "Yeah," I said immediately. "You have to have a little more faith in me, man," said Robin. At that moment, the door to the roof creaked open, and a sixteen-year-old redheaded girl stepped out about twenty feet in front of us.

Immediately, she froze and said, "Hello?" Robin just stared at her, while I answered, "It's Batman." Robin spoke up, saying nervously, "A-and Robin!" Barbara relaxed, saying, "Oh, hi! How are you guys?" I didn't really expect her to say that, so I just responded, "Um, fine, I guess." "And this is your friend?" asked Barbara, boldly approaching Robin, "Sorry about calling you small, by the way." Robin said, "I'm his friend. Yeah, his friend. We've been friends for a while now. More like brothers at this point, really." Robin began rattling off other random sentences containing the word 'friend' while Barbara squinted and then proceeded to slap Robin in the face. I grimaced as Robin groaned. "What was that for?" said Robin, forcefully removed from his stupor. Barbara said, "You were staring at my chest. Don't deny it!" Robin stammered nonsensically for a few seconds, and Barbara put her fists on her hips, saying, "Come on! Admit it!" She leaned in closer to Robin, which seemed to calm him down. He eventually gulped and said, "I wasn't staring at…your chest. I just really…you're very…" "Huh?" said Barbara challengingly, "What's that?" "You're very pretty," blurted Robin. He made every attempt not to make eye contact, instead turning away and scratching the top of his head. Barbara leaned back, standing up straight. Her cheeks turned red, and she said, "Th-thanks…I think." I turned my face away for a few seconds so they couldn't see me smiling. _You're going to do well for yourself, Dick, _I thought. Barbara cleared her throat and said, "So, um, with…that…aside, what are you two doing here?" I took a while to respond, as I was still smiling.

I managed to turn towards Barbara not too long after, and I said, "We need to ask you about Harvey Dent." Barbara nodded and said, "What about him?" "Do you know where he is?" I asked. "No," said Barbara, "At least, not quite. I really only wanted to see him, but if you want to _find _him…" She trailed off, biting her lip. I said, "If I want to find him, what?" "I could probably help," she said slowly. "No," I said firmly, "You can't go down there." "Oh, come on," said Barbara, "I've been to the underground plenty of times! I was born there!" "You what?" I said, shocked. Barbara's eyes widened, and she turned away, saying, "Sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned that." "No, it's fine," I said, "Just…what do you mean?" She turned back towards me and said, "Well, I…I'm not really Jim Gordon's biological daughter. I don't really know anything about my real parents, actually. They were probably criminals, or something. Anyway, my dad was working undercover, back when he was a detective. He had to go to the underground, and he heard a baby crying from an alley. He went back there, found me in a dumpster, and took me home." Her mood suddenly perked up, and she smiled and continued, "The anniversary of my adoption is actually tomorrow." Robin had since turned back towards Barbara, his eyes widened. He walked towards her and said, "So…do you know your birthday?" Barbara's smile disappeared and she said, "No. The anniversary is sort of my birthday." Robin walked even closer to her, saying, "I'm really sorry." "It's okay," said Barbara, "None of it's your fault, after all." Robin suddenly hugged Barbara, drawing back after a few seconds. Barbara's eyes were widened, and she was obviously surprised. "Sorry," said Robin, "I just…thought that'd make you feel better." Barbara stared at Robin for a few seconds, and though I wanted to get a move on, I couldn't resist smiling again.

Barbara started tearing up. She wiped a single tear from her eye, saying, "Oh, sorry. I know we have to speed this along." "Don't worry about it," I said, "There are times I need to cry. It's nothing to be ashamed of." Barbara nodded, saying, "Yeah, but we have other things to do right now. I'll focus on crying later." I said, "In that case, even if you do intend to get into the underground, how will you get your dad to let you?" She replied, "I have an idea. Just…meet me there, tomorrow morning." "And if you don't show up?" I said. Barbara said, "Then…go on without me. I can pass this up. It doesn't mean you should." I said, "All right, we'll see you tomorrow morning." I turned, saying, "Let's head out, Robin." "I-I'll catch up," said Robin. "You sure?" I asked. "Yeah," said Robin. I nodded, walking to the edge of the roof and jumping to the next. I looked back, seeing Robin lead Barbara to the edge and helping her sit down. He sat next to her, and just before I walked too far to hear them, I heard Robin begin, "I had my parents for only sixteen years…" I picked up my pace, knowing the conversation those two were having wasn't mine to hear. A few minutes later, Robin was speedily approaching me. I had slowed down to allow for it, of course. As he fell in step with me, he said, "So, are we going to meet her?" "Yes," I said, "She could give us a good lead or two." "So, you're not going to ask?" said Robin. "About your talk?" I said, "I don't have any right to ask about it." "Thanks," said Robin. For a while, we walked in silence. Soon, though, Robin said, "So, you're not even going to get at me for losing my cool up there?" "Not at all," I said, "You were very sweet, considering the circumstances." We fell silent again, and we traversed the rooftops without a word for a little bit.

It was only when we reached the road to the manor when Robin said, "I really think I love her." "I thought as much," I said. "You know what," said Robin, looking at the built-in iPod interface on his wrist. He started listening to the song Somewhere Only We Know by Keane. I smiled. Unlike most of the time, Robin was listening to a peaceful, slow song. I looked at him and said, "You know, I have a huge feeling that that girl's name is going to be Barbara Grayson someday." Robin paused the song and said, "Huh? Sorry, the volume's a bit loud. What was it you said?" I smiled slightly wider, shaking my head and saying, "Nothing. Go back to your music." Robin shrugged, playing the song again. I looked out ahead, saying, "I just hope you two take good care of each other." We returned to the Batcave without another word, and we got out of our suits. As we entered the manor just a minute later, Dick seemed perfectly serene, and as I walked past Alfred, he asked quietly, "Master Wayne, I do believe young Master Grayson is feeling very well. If I may ask, what occurred after your little outing?" "Well, Alfred," I whispered in response, "I think Dick has found love." Alfred smiled, looking towards Dick. He said, "He's come quite a ways, hasn't he?" "No kidding," I said, "He's definitely going places." "And they'll be the right ones, thanks to you," said Alfred, patting my shoulder and walking off. "Hopefully," I said. I went into my bedroom, dressing for bed and lying down. This time, I slept without a single dream, and for the first time in a while, things seemed to be, at least for that moment, at peace.

In the underground, Slade had entered the nightclub where the Sewer Rats resided, wearing plain clothes over his uniform, with his mask off. The gang members were engaging in all manner of depravity. Wanting to end this as quickly as possible, Slade clapped once, loudly. "HEY," he said, catching their attention. Slade turned to the many prostitutes in the room, saying, "You ladies should head out. Wouldn't want you to see this." They saw the look in Slade's eyes, immediately rushing out past him. One Sewer Rat, obviously the leader judging from his stature, said, "What business do you have coming in here and ruining our fun?" "Pretty nasty business, actually," said Slade, pulling his mask out from his deep pockets. He put it on, throwing off the clothes he'd been wearing over his uniform. The leader of the Sewer Rats took a surprised step backwards, saying, "Who're you?" "Hmm," said Slade, "I think I'll go with what the good people of Australia used to call me: Deathstroke." The leader of the Sewer Rats swallowed in fear. Slade didn't even give him a chance, lunging forward and slamming one of the blades on his wrists into the man's neck. Slade proceeded to throw the dead leader aside, grabbing an Uzi and firing in a sweeping motion, taking out most of the Sewer Rats. There were only four Sewer Rats left, who'd taken cover and survived the bullets. Slade quickly went around the room, knocking out each of them and tying their wrists together. "You're going to be in for something when you wake up," he whispered. Two-Face entered, straightening his tie. He asked, "How many candidates are there?" Slade answered, "Just four." "It's an okay start," said Two-Face. Slade dragged all four of the 'candidates' up against the wall, facing Two-Face.

Two-Face's voice suddenly became gruff, a sign that White Knight was speaking. He said, "Now's as good a time as any to start making decisions." Harvey Dent said, "Too true." A few seconds later, the two personalities came together once again, forming Two-Face. "Now we just wait until they wake up," he said. The Sewer Rats actually woke up just a few minutes later. When the first one came awake, Two-Face quickly approached him and grabbed him by his hair. He got close to his face, saying, "You're the first one to be tested. Feel free to be nervous." Two-Face straightened, aiming his gun at the Sewer Rat's head and taking out his coin. He pulled back the hammer. He flipped the coin, turning it over onto his gun hand. He took his free hand away. He turned the coin's undamaged side towards the Sewer Rat, saying, "Guess you're going to be okay." Slade untied the Sewer Rat, who said, "What was that for?" "You're going to help me take over the underground," said Two-Face, "Or I won't need to use my coin to decide." The Sewer Rat reluctantly nodded. Two-Face nodded back, continuing his process as each Sewer Rat woke up. By the end, one was on the floor with blood pooling around his head, and three others were standing up, alive. "Odds can be a bit strange sometimes," said Two-Face, "They don't always produce half-and-half results." He knocked back an unfinished shot of whiskey, turning and walking out the door with Slade and his new men behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER VII

Early the next morning, Barbara Gordon woke up with a huge grin on her face. She ran into her house's kitchen, where her mom had already made a stack of large pancakes. Barbara said loudly, "Thanks, Mom! This looks really good!" Smiling, Mrs. Gordon replied, "It'd better _be _good. I was very careful with those." Barbara hugged her mom, saying, "I know they'll be good. Where's Dad?" "He's about to be up," said Mrs. Gordon. Barbara smiled, going to eat the pancakes. She devoured them within ten minutes, to which Mrs. Gordon said jokingly, "How _do _you keep your lovely figure?" Barbara said, "Gymnastics, of course. You were the one who signed me up." "Exactly," said Mrs. Gordon, "By the way, how is that camera of yours doing?" "It's okay," said Barbara, "I'm trying to save up for a new one, though." Jim Gordon emerged from the hallway leading from his bedroom, carrying a box and saying, "We know." He smiled widely, and Barbara's eyes widened. She pointed at the box, beginning, "Is that…?" Jim handed her the box and said, "Open it up and find out." Barbara set the box on their kitchen table and tore into it. Past the Styrofoam packaging and bubble wrap, she found a brand-new, state-of-the-art camera. Barbara gingerly picked it up, saying, "How'd you guys get this?" "Well, like I said, we already knew you wanted a camera," said Jim, "So, we put some money aside to buy you this one. You kept rambling about it the other day, about how it's got…" Barbara interrupted Jim by quickly listing all of the camera's features. Laughing lightly, Jim said, "Yeah, that." Barbara set the camera down on the table, saying, "Give me a second." She ran back into her room, grabbing her tripod. She carried it into the kitchen, setting it up and picking up the camera. She said, "Maybe this'll…yay! It fits! Mom, Dad, could you stand in front of this?" Her parents quickly stepped in the camera's shot, and Barbara set the timer, dashing over to them.

Ten seconds later, a photo was taken, and Barbara walked over to the camera to see it. "Cool!" she said, "I love this! Thanks so much!" She hugged both of her parents at the same time. Once they separated, Barbara froze for a second. She snapped out of it, saying, "That…sort of reminds me…Dad, I need to ask you a question." Barbara's expression was serious, and her dad said, "Yeah, okay. What is it?" "I want to film a short documentary," said Barbara. Jim nodded, saying, "Okay. Keep going." "There's just one problem," said Barbara, "I want to film it in the underground." Jim immediately said, "Barbara, you know I can't let you do that. The underground is dangerous." "I know that, Dad," said Barbara, exasperated, "But you can come along with me! And I'm sure a few others would want to come!" "Just…let me think about it," said Jim. Barbara sighed and said, "All right." She somberly walked off to her room, camera in hand. Only a few minutes after she went in, she heard a small tap at her window. She looked out to see me, as Batman. She quickly locked her door and opened her window, whispering urgently, "What're you doing here? I said I'd meet up with you! And also, it's very rude to pay a surprise visit to a girl while she's in her jammies!" I climbed through into her room, noticing the walls practically plastered with posters from bands like Blink-182, Green Day, MxPx, Yellowcard, and Sum 41. "Yes, I like pop punk," said Barbara, "Now, _why are you here_?" I replied, "I wanted to make sure. What'd your dad say?" Barbara crossed her arms, saying grudgingly, "He doesn't want me to go. He says he has to think about it, but I doubt it'll be a yes." I nodded, saying, "I thought as much." "Well, then what're you going to do?" asked Barbara. I thought about it. I said, "I think I might have an idea. I know a guy who can help." I smiled mischievously, as did Barbara.

Just a few hours later, Bruce Wayne was at a press conference with Barbara, saying, "Yes, Barbara contacted me about her little documentary. Being someone who's never been in the underground, this could give me a chance to take a good look at it. I promise to give her full funding and…" Suddenly, Jim Gordon burst through the crowd, saying, "Hey, wait! I didn't okay any of this!" I looked at Barbara as if I was indignant, saying, "Really? I wasn't aware of this." Barbara gulped. I continued, "But…have you shut it down completely, Mr. Gordon?" Jim sighed and said, "…No." I said, "Then…maybe she can still do this, right? I can put up a sufficient security detail. I can fund the whole filming process. You give her the chance to go forward with this, I'll make sure it goes down right." Jim hesitated. Eventually, he responded, "Show me how you would handle it after you're finished here, and I _might _let her do this. And even if I do, I'm going to be with her down there." I nodded, saying, "Sounds like a solid plan. And I'm done here already. We can talk right now." I stepped down from the stage I was on, and Barbara followed, saying, "I still can't believe you're friends with _Batman_!" "Yeah," I whispered back, "He and I share a few experiences." "How?" asked Barbara. "We've both had some terrible stuff happen to us," I said, "But we both try to learn from those things." The paparazzi nearly suffocated us both, so I had to shut up. We continued though the crowd, trying to keep up with Jim. Eventually, we managed to get through the doors, catching up with Jim on the sidewalk.

We fell in step with him on either side, and I said, "I've already told you I'll set up some security. I could ask Batman if he could be there. He says he's going after someone there, anyway." "You have to remember Barbara is still my daughter," said Jim, "You understand if I'm very apprehensive about this." "Well, if you're there, you won't have to worry as much," I said. "Still, it's the_ underground_," said Jim, "I've said it once, I'll say it again, that place is dangerous." Barbara seemed to be tired of the whole thing, eventually bursting, "I'm the one!" "What?" said Jim, confused, looking back at Barbara. Barbara turned red, saying, "Um…I-I'm the one who's been sending all those photos of Batman to the newspaper. And I also…hired a guy to wear a button cam and record that video of Harvey Dent." Jim was shocked. He asked, "Barbara, does anyone else know about this?" Barbara winced, saying, "…Batman." Jim thought back. He remembered when Batman was at the hospital where Harvey Dent had been taken after being burned. He remembered what I said, about dealing with a nuisance. "That was _you _at the hospital?" asked Jim. "Yes," said Barbara hesitantly. Jim sighed, saying, "At least you're okay." Barbara said, "Dad, you don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself." Jim sighed once again, turning towards me and saying, "How good of a security team are we talking here?" I replied, "Pretty good. I can afford some pretty premier companies." Jim said, "And Batman…would he really be there?" "Yes," I said, "I'm sure." Jim ran his hand through his hair, saying, "All right, fine. But I want you to make _sure _that Barbara stays safe." "I certainly will, sir," I said. Jim asked, "When will this all start?" Barbara turned to me and asked, "Would today work?" "Probably," I said, "Yeah, we could do today. I'll meet you both later." Jim nodded, and he and Barbara walked off. A few seconds later, Dick emerged from the building the press conference was in. He asked, "So, why was it that you didn't want Barbara to see me?" "She's a smart girl," I said, "She sees you with me, I don't think it would take her too long to make the connection. Come on, we have to get ready." We turned, getting into the car we came in and heading back to the manor.

Meanwhile in Arkham Asylum, the Joker was playing a ukulele he had bought not too long before, singing a duet of the song Riptide with Harley. Today was one of the days she got to visit him. He ended the song, saying, "Oh, married life. It's great, isn't it?" "You got that right," said Harley seductively. "Now, now, my dear," said the Joker, "Not in front of the kids." He pointed towards Kami, Chester, and Smiley, who were all in cells opposite from Harley and the Joker. Smiley said loudly, "I heard that!" "Ignore them," said the Joker. Harley smiled and said, "I'm so glad I get to visit you. That prison I'm in is just unhealthy." "Oh, really," said the Joker continuing to strum the ukulele, "How so?" "It's worse than a prison like this," said Harley, "All the drama and hormones and crying. And then there's when a fourth of everyone there is going through 'their time of the month'! It's terrible, I'm telling you." "I guess you're right," said the Joker, "It is getting better around here. Old Killer Croc has been asking me about what kind of ring to buy Poison Ivy. Guy's been working his butt off to raise enough money." "Aw, that's romantic," said Harley, "Oh, you know what? He should get something in, like, a flower pattern." "That's what I told him," said the Joker, "I think that's what he's going for." "I hope this'll make those two happier," said Harley, "Killer Croc used to be so mean, but he complimented my hair this morning!" "You can thank _this guy_ for that," said the Joker, pointing at himself. "Oh, honey," said Harley, leaning against the Joker's shoulder. Suddenly, a guard appeared at the Joker's cell door, saying, "Joker, you have another visitor." The Joker was confused, saying, "Who?" "He says his name is Slade Wilson, but other than that, no idea," said the guard. The Joker set down the ukulele, turning to Harley and saying, "I'll be back soon, dear." Harley seemed sad, but she let him go anyway. "You can stay here while he's gone…ma'am," said the guard awkwardly. Harley nodded, and the guard led the Joker out of his cell.

As they walked to the visiting room, the Joker asked, "So you don't know anything about this guy aside from his name?" The guard answered, "Well, we pulled his records, and he checks out, so we don't really need to know that much." "He checks out, huh?" said the Joker, "Hm." They finally reached the visiting room, and there was Slade, in his street clothes, on the other side of the glass. The guard left, and the Joker and Slade both lifted their respective phones off their hooks. Slade began, "So, you were Batman's first major catch, eh?" "He didn't catch me, I turned myself in," said the Joker quickly, "Anyway, what do you want?" "I'm here for Harvey Dent," said Slade. The Joker said, "Harvey Dent? How'd you check out if you're with him?" Slade shrugged it off, saying, "I know some people." The Joker squinted, suspicious of Slade. Eventually, he said, "Okay, then, what does Two-Face want?" "Two-Face?" said Slade. The Joker nodded, saying, "Yes, what does he want?" Slade got over the Joker's Two-Face remark, saying, "He wants info. You must have worked in the underground when you were Red Hood. Do you know anyone we'd need under our belts?" "I assume this means you've already taken down the Sewer Rats," said the Joker. "Simple enough, really," said Slade. "Okay," said the Joker, "Well, then, let me tell you something. I'm not inclined to help people like Two-Face. I'm the reason he looks like that. He'd never want my help. If I say yes, you break me out, bring me to Two-Face, and I get my head blown off. NO THANKS." He hung up his phone, getting up and walking off. A guard brought him back to his cell, where Harley was waiting. She saw the Joker's face, saying, "What's wrong, puddin'?" The Joker answered, "Something's going down soon, Harley. And it's not good. Not good at all." Harley stood up, and the Joker took her in his arms. While he smiled widely, worry and a little fear was invading his mind.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER VIII

Alfred got the opportunity to drive the Batmobile with Dick to an out-of-the-way corner in the underground. He covered it up with various objects and trash, trying his best to hide it from any prying eyes. Meanwhile, Jim Gordon allowed Barbara to ride with me. When he told me about it, I asked, "Really? You trust me enough to drive your daughter around?" "Not entirely," said Jim, "But I do trust Batman. And he trusts you." "I don't know about that," I said, "He doesn't trust many people." "All the same, you two are friends, and that's enough for me. And besides, she has a black belt in tae kwon do. She can take of herself." "All right," I said. When I picked Barbara up from her house, she got in the front next to me, saying, "This is a really cool car! How much did it cost?" "Too much," I said. Barbara smiled, taking out her camera. "Thanks for helping out with all this," said Barbara. "It's no trouble," I said, "And I'm sure that your dad didn't just let you come with me because Batman said it'd be okay." "Yeah," she said, "I wanted to brag about riding shotgun in Bruce Wayne's car." I looked in my rearview mirror. "Of course, he's still your dad," I said. "What do you…?" Barbara began. I pointed backwards. Jim was in his car, obviously intent on following us. Barbara sighed, saying, "What's he doing?" "It's understandable," I said, "If I had a kid your age, I'd be nervous if she went somewhere with someone she barely knew who was almost twice her age. He's just being a parent. It means he cares about you." "Yeah, but it sort of ruins the whole thing," said Barbara. "All I'm saying…just don't take your parents for granted, and please don't consider them nuisances," I said. Barbara knew where I was coming from, so she stayed quiet.

We arrived at an old hotel in the underground, where the security company I'd hired already had a team in place. I parked, got out, and walked up to the leader of the team, asking, "So, how're we looking?" The leader simply gestured towards a large, armored car, saying, "Take a look in there." I walked over, lifting up the back. There was a veritable arsenal of guns and ammo. "Looks like we're pretty well prepared," I said. "For any eventuality," said the leader, "Don't worry. You guys will be fine." Barbara stepped up behind me, snapping a picture of the weapons. A few minutes later, we'd moved into the hotel, with the security team roaming the entire building. I shared a room with Dick and Alfred, a fact which everyone else wasn't aware of. They climbed through the window after I tapped on it, signaling it was safe. I locked the room's door, waiting for them to come through. When their feet hit the carpet, I said to Alfred, "I see you've remained quite nimble in your old age." "Well, when you're in Her Majesty's service, you learn to stay fit," said Alfred. Only a few seconds more passed before I heard a knock. "Mr. Wayne?" I heard Barbara say. I whispered frantically to Alfred and Dick, "Get in the coat closet! Now!" They quietly rushed over, stuffing themselves into either side of the closet. I closed the door as quietly as possible, unlocking the door and letting Barbara in. She looked around, saying, "It must not be what you're used to, huh?" I left the door open, answering, "Yeah, a little bit." "You seem a little nervous," said Barbara. "Yeah…" I mentally scrambled for my next words, eventually choosing to say, "I just…haven't been here before, you know? It's scarier than I thought it would be." Barbara seemed satisfied with my answer, nodding.

Barbara said, "Yeah, it's a little scary. But I feel…more at home with the people here." "How?" I asked. "Not sure," she answered, laughing, "I think people here…just seem more content. They know how terrible it is here, but you wouldn't believe how many times I've seen people give up their own time or money or even clothes to help others." "Really?" I said, "That sounds pretty nice, actually." "You're so right," said Barbara, collapsing in a chair opposite from me. In the coat closet, Dick found himself to be uncomfortable, shifting slightly but stirring up dust. "Oh, no, no, please…" began Dick, whispering frantically. He inhaled some of the dust, trying to stop himself. But it was to no avail. From inside the closet, Barbara and I both heard a loud, "Eh-CHOO!" Barbara jumped, tensing up and asking quietly, "Is there someone in the closet?" I started rambling, "Uh, I…It's, um…there's…" I sighed, finishing dejectedly, "Yes." Barbara walked over to the closet, flinging the door open. Dick turned red, and Alfred said nonchalantly, "Good afternoon." Barbara jumped back, turning to me and whispering, "Who're these guys?" "My butler and my…friend," I said, gesturing to Alfred and Dick in turn. Dick finally gulped and said weakly, "Hi." Barbara stared at Dick. Eventually, her eyes widened, and she pinched a lock of Dick's hair. She said, "Wait a minute…long, black hair…" She squeezed his bicep, continuing, "Muscular build: meh…" "MEH?!" said Dick indignantly. Barbara shushed him, finishing with, "And a sweet voice. One final test, though." She gradually leaned forward. She was wearing a looser shirt, meaning that the collar dipped uncomfortably far. The whole time, Dick kept perfect eye contact. Eventually, Barbara straightened.

"No way," said Barbara, "You're that sweet boy I met last night!" "Dick Grayson, your loveliness," said Dick nervously. He realized the last word in his sentence, his eyes widening and his face turning a brighter shade of red. "Aw, pretty _and _lovely," said Barbara, "You know how to stack on the compliments." "Indeed," chimed in Alfred, "Beneath his generally obnoxious, sarcastic, and snarky exterior, therein lies a heart of gold." Dick stared at Alfred, saying, "I'm not sure how to respond to that." "It's just as well," said Alfred, getting out of the closet. Barbara suddenly kissed Dick on the cheek. Dick nearly keeled over, but he managed to steady himself. Barbara patted his arm, smiling and saying, "You're cute." She walked over to me, whispering, "Should I tell him it was a pity kiss now, or later?" "Maybe I should tell him," I answered. Barbara nodded, and spoke louder, saying, "So that means you're not just friends with Batman, are you, Mr. Wayne?" "I told you she'd figure it out," I said, leaning to make eye contact with Dick, who was scrambling out of the closet. He tripped over nothing and fell on his face. I looked out in the hall, seeing no one. I closed the door, saying, "Yes. I'm Batman." Getting excited, Barbara said, "Ooh, could you say, 'I'm Batman' in your Batman voice?" "No," I said immediately. Barbara looked a little disappointed, but she said, "Maybe…no, it's silly." "What?" I said. "What if…I joined your little team?" she asked. "Maybe," I said, "You know tae kwon do, after all." "And I'm a gymnast," said Barbara. By now, Dick was up and dusting himself off. I smiled slightly at his comical show of nervousness.

He asked her, "What would your name even be?" Barbara thought about it, eventually replying, "Um…Batgirl, maybe?" "Whoa, whoa, hey," said Dick, "If she's going to be Batgirl, I need to be Batboy…never mind, that sounds stupid. Batkid? No, that's even worse…Bat-Teen! No, that still sucks…" He held his chin in thought, eventually saying, "I think I'll have to stick with Robin." "All right, fine then," I said, "You're…Batgirl now, I guess." Barbara jumped with her fists in the air, saying giddily, "YAY!" "Quiet down," I said. Barbara calmed down, saying, "Oh, right. Can't reveal anything." I continued, "Look, even though you're on the team, I'm going to have you do the same thing that Dick went through. Up until the point where you have enough fighting experience, you stay back behind Dick and me. It'll be _my _decision as to when you're ready, got that? I want to keep you safe." Barbara nodded vigorously, saying, "I'm okay with that." "Really?" I said, surprised. She responded, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" "Well, I had some trouble with this one," I said, pointing to Dick, "so I guess I just assumed all teens had problems with that sort of thing. And I thought you didn't like your mom and dad hovering over you." "That's for stuff that doesn't matter," said Barbara, "You're just talking about not getting killed. It makes sense." "I'm starting to like you more by the second," I said, "Dick, take a page from her book." Dick rolled his eyes, and Barbara said, "Thanks." Barbara seemed to come to a realization. She assumed a fighting stance and said, "Will I get a _costume_?" "If by costume you mean _suit_," I said, "then probably, yeah. You'll have to get it after we're done here, though." She squealed excitedly, running out of the room and saying, "I have to sketch up a design!" Dick turned as she passed, sighing and saying, "She's so hot." "Yeah, okay," I said, patting his shoulder, "Let's get some rest. I'll take the cot." Dick got in one bed, Alfred got in another, and I set up the cot, and we all got ourselves some power naps.

Meanwhile, Slade was standing on the roof of a building, holding binoculars to his eyes with Two-Face standing behind him. "Yeah, that's them," said Slade. "How big is the security team?" asked Two-Face. "We'll have to get a few more guys if we want to take them down, that's for sure," answered Slade, "But other than that, it should be cake." "That's not what I meant," said Two-Face, "We don't need to take them out. They're just here to film a documentary." "Oh yeah?" said Slade, irritated, "So what if the girl films us?" "Like she could even now," said Two-Face, "This just means we need to be a little more careful." Though Slade had a hard time believing Two-Face, he said, "Fine. Where to next, then?" "A fellow by the name of Count Vertigo," said White Knight, "He's a drug dealer who hops around the country too fast for most people to catch him. But this spot is a favorite of his." "How do you know?" asked Slade. "Isn't it obvious?" answered White Knight, "I asked him once. And he's here now." "You talked to him?" said Slade. White Knight said, "Of course. I've worked with him. Gotham has tried to put the news that their D.A. is horribly disfigured _and _a criminal under wraps, so Vertigo hasn't heard about it yet. I had a nice little conversation with him." "I take it the pleasantries were faked," said Slade. "Oh, yes," said White Knight mischievously, "Let's head out." Two-Face turned and walked towards the stairs on the roof with Slade close behind.

They went to a run-down dive, where Slade entered alone, once again dressed in plain clothes. Count Vertigo was enjoying a drink at a table, alone. Slade approached him and said, "You're that Vertigo guy, right?" "Yes," said Count Vertigo, setting his drink down, "But I have guys on the streets. You don't need to come see me personally." "Oh, no, I'm not looking for drugs," said Slade, "I'm here for something _much _different." Count Vertigo furrowed his brow as Two-Face sat down next to him on his left side, so he couldn't see Two-Face's scars. Two-Face shoved his gun up against Count Vertigo's side, saying, "Afternoon, Vertigo." Count Vertigo laughed, saying, "Harvey, buddy! What's going on? We're coworkers, aren't we?" "We used to be," said Two-Face, turning to reveal his scars, "And _don't call me Harvey, _you idiot." Count Vertigo looked at Two-Face's scars, saying, "What's that from?" "Coffee maker malfunctioned," said Two-Face, pulling out his coin. He flipped it, catching it and flipping it over on his gun hand. He pulled his hand away, revealing the tails side. "Looks like it's _my _lucky day," said Two-Face, pulling his handgun's trigger. Count Vertigo groaned, his eyes widened in shock. Two-Face struck him on the head with his pistol, killing him. "Another one bites the dust," said Two-Face. Two-Face and Slade exited, as if nothing had happened.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER IX

Not too long after Barbara left the room and we laid down for our naps, we heard a knock at the door. "Mr. Wayne?" we heard Barbara say, "Is it okay if I come in?" Though I hadn't gotten a lot of sleep and I was groggy, I got up, still in my pajamas, saying, "Yeah. I guess." I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, opening the door for her. She entered, a happy look in her eyes and a single sheet of paper in her hands. "You came up with a design already?" She nodded, saying, "I was too excited about the whole Batgirl thing." Dick suddenly woke with a start. While his words were slightly slurred, he said, "I thought I heard Barbara's voice. I love her..." He saw Barbara, finishing frantically, "VOICE. I LOVE HER VOICE." "I can't tell if you were trying to catch yourself, or you actually love my voice," said Barbara, "Either way...you might earn yourself another kiss." Dick's eyes lit up, and his sleepiness seemed to dissipate. "Well, anyway..." I said, "How's this design look?" She turned the paper around, revealing the design. I nodded, saying, "Nice." The color scheme was black and purple. Just like mine, there were spines on her gloves and boots, though they were slightly smaller. From the waist down, it was all black save for a purple belt and purple lining on her boots. Her gloves had this same lining. From the waist up, it was also fully black except for the logo. The bat's head was just like mine. The wings, however, only went upwards slightly, unlike mine, which had steep curves. The bat's body went directly down her sternum and stopped just above her navel. The wings' spines covered a substantial amount of her chest, and tapered off more gradually. And finally, she had a purple cape, and instead of a full head covering-type mask, she simply had a purple one that covered the area around her eyes and had spikes on either side, almost like ears.

Barbara suddenly asked, "By the way, would it be too much to ask for a built-in bra?" "Why...are you even asking me this?" I said, taken off guard by the question. "Oh," said Barbara, "Sorry. I know it's a bit of an awkward question." I nodded emphatically, saying, "You'll just...have to ask Lucius that question." Barbara nodded, slightly embarrassed. I tried to alleviate the feeling by saying, "I guess not. I don't really know." "Well, thanks," said Barbara. "I really do like the design," I said. I gave her a reassuring smile, as did Dick. Dick said, "So do I. I think the mask would really bring out your eyes." Barbara smiled, saying, "You're getting closer to that kiss." Dick raised his eyebrows and gave a thumbs-up. Barbara smiled a little wider, turning to me and saying, "I also needed to tell you that we're going to start filming today. I'm sure my dad will have a whole team watching me, but if we work something out, you guys can find Dent while I film." "I have just the thing," I said, going over to my luggage. I pulled out four earpieces, handing one to Barbara. "With these, you can talk to us if you manage to get away for a couple minutes," I said. Barbara grinned, saying, "My first mission as Batgirl! I'm so excited!" "All right, let's get it on," I said. Barbara nodded, running off to her room while Dick, Alfred and I all climbed out the back window while putting on our earpieces.

We got to the Batmobile, and Dick and I quickly changed into Batman and Robin. Alfred decided to stay in the Batmobile and help any way he could. Robin and I got onto the roofs, and I asked Barbara through the earpiece, "What's our cover story?" "I told my dad you'd gone off to explore on your own," Barbara responded. I said, "Sounds reasonable. Where are you heading to?" "I'm going to see a friend of mine: Andy," said Barbara, "I made it clear that I'd be 'interviewing' him. I will, but word travels very fast around here, so I'm going to ask him if he's heard anything beforehand." "Okay, we'll wait on your word," I said. Barbara was in the backseat of a car at this time with several security officers. One of them asked her, "Were you...talking to someone?" Barbara barely kept her cool, saying, "No, you must've been...hearing things." "Ah, my hearing has gone a little screwy these past few years," said the officer, chuckling. Barbara breathed a sigh of relief, and she proceeded to direct the driver to Andy's address. Her dad was in the seat in front of her. He turned to face her, saying, "So, this Andy guy...how well do you know him?" "Don't worry, Dad, he's a nice guy," said Barbara, "I've met his kids, and I've been to his place. This guy would only hurt a fly if it was coming after someone he cared about." Jim still seemed slightly uneasy, but he put it off. When they reached Andy's house, Andy was already waiting for them, and his two daughters, aged five and seven, were playing hopscotch.

When the car stopped, Jim hopped out and walked up to Andy, shaking his hand. He said, "Andy. Barbara's told me a lot about you." "She's told me about you, too, Jim," said Andy. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, so part of his USMC tattoo was exposed. Jim was more at ease now, saying, "Are those your kids?" "Yep," said Andy proudly, pointing to both of them in turn, "Brittany and Adriana." The girls noticed Jim, and Adriana, the older, asked excitedly, "Are you Aunt Barbara's daddy?" "Yes," said Jim, smiling, "That I am." "She's really nice," said Adriana, "She reads to us a lot! She's a lot like our mommy!" Brittany said, "Really? I don't remember Mommy." Jim immediately looked to Andy' ring finger. He was wearing two rings. "What happened?" he asked Andy quietly. Andy said, "Sharon worked in a shop not too far from here. One day, a couple of guys came in with guns. Things got ugly..." He trailed off. He looked to his daughters, saying, "And now they barely remember her." "I didn't realize Barbara was doing so much for you," said Jim. "Yeah," said Andy, "You most certainly haven't failed as a parent." Jim chuckled, saying, "I guess." Barbara had since gotten her equipment, setting it up and hugging Adriana and Brittany. She said, "Okay, I'll read to you later, but right now Aunt Barbara needs to talk to your daddy." Brittany smiled, saying, "We'll wait!" Barbara returned the smile, walking up to Andy.

She told Jim, "Dad, I'm going to have to steal Andy for a minute. I have to talk to him about camera angles, and...stuff." Jim said, "Okay. Go ahead." Barbara led Andy by his arm over to the camera, acting like she was fiddling with it. She whispered to Andy, "Do you know anything about a guy by the name of Harvey Dent?" Andy was surprised, saying, "What are you doing getting involved with him?" Barbara said, "I'm not getting involved, I'm just helping some friends." "Who would be...?" asked Andy. "Batman and Robin," said Barbara proudly. Andy's eyes widened. Eventually, he said, "Well, there are rumors going around about some kind of rally." "Where?" asked Barbara. A few seconds later, Robin and I heard the address through our earpieces, and I quickly asked Alfred, "Alfred, what's our distance?" Alfred plugged the address into the Batmobile's GPS, saying, "You're not too far, Master Wayne." Barbara chimed in, "Hurry, though. It's going down right now!" Alfred gave us directions, and Robin and I traversed the underground's rooftops, eventually coming to the address Andy had given. It was a large warehouse with several glass skylights. "Why is it always a warehouse?" said Robin. "Don't ask me," I said. I asked Robin, "Do you have grappling hooks?" Robin began, "I don't know, Lucius didn't mention..." Suddenly, he accidentally activated a grappling hook on his wrist. It landed on the roof of the warehouse. "Apparently I have grappling hooks," said Robin. He jumped off the roof we were on, swinging to the warehouse's roof. I did the same, landing next to Robin. We walked over to a skylight, looking downwards.

Below us, Two-Face was on a large stage, seemingly shouting. There was a large crowd of unsavory characters, most interested in what Two-Face was saying. "We can't take all those guys," said Robin. "We can scare them off," I said. "How?" asked Dick. I pointed to my back. I was wearing the Batwings. I jumped through the skylight, throwing down several smoke-batarangs. Amid the copious amounts of coughing, one criminal yelled, "WHAT THE *#%$ IS THAT?!" I had activated the Batwings and spread out my cape, making me look like some huge bat. Most criminals ducked out, though some stayed, having been won over by Two-Face. Out from the smoke, Robin began whacking criminals who'd stayed over the head, while blasting Thousand Foot Krutch through his headset. I landed on the stage, right next to Two-Face. "Hi, Dent," I said, assuming a fighting stance. Two-Face just smiled. I was about to ask why, but I suddenly heard a voice with a thick Australian accent say, "Been a while, Bats." I turned quickly, seeing Deathstroke. "Wait a minute," I said, "Thanatos?" "Not quite," said Deathstroke, brandishing his sword. He lunged, expertly swinging the sword towards my head. I rolled out of the way, getting back up as fast as possible. He swung towards me again, and this time, I was forced to block it with my arm. The sword didn't slice right through, but it came close. It was stuck in my glove. I ripped it out of Deathstroke's hand. Deathstroke charged at me, reverting to his regular fighting style. He threw seemingly random punches as I did my best to block, all the while knowing that Two-Face was right behind me.

Suddenly, Deathstroke stopped. He stepped back from me. "Seriously?" said Deathstroke, exasperated. I turned, seeing Two-Face holding up his coin. "The coin makes the decision final," said Two-Face, "He doesn't die here. We just teach him a lesson." "Yeah," said White Knight, "A real good one." I noticed the change in his voice, saying, "Harvey...?" "Nah," said White Knight. Seeing the way Harvey had, in essence, become three people, I was distracted. I heard a sharp crack and felt myself drift into unconsciousness. Deathstroke turned to Robin, who was still fighting, and said, "Same goes for you." Deathstroke leaped from the stage, bringing his fist down onto Robin's jaw. Robin fell face-first onto the hard, concrete floor. Deathstroke turned back to Two-Face, saying, "I'll never understand what it is with that coin." "If you ever had siblings, you'd understand," said Two-Face. Deathstroke said, "What?" Two-Face responded, "Whenever two siblings have a dispute, say, over the last piece of cake, they roshambo, they have a thumb wrestling match, or..." He held up his coin, finishing, "They have a coin toss. It's just like that, only a little more personal. Let's go." Deathstroke sighed, picking up whoever was recovering from Robin's barrage and heading towards the door. Two-Face did the same, closing the doors behind him. Soon, Robin and I woke up. I felt something warm seeping from my arm. Deathstroke had managed to give me a shallow cut.

I groaned, "Did anyone see the train that hit me?" Robin said, "No, it was Deathstroke. He just punched you in the back of the head." "No way," I said, "He couldn't have." "Come to think of it, all he had to do was punch my jaw," said Robin. "Something's different about this guy," I said, lifting myself up from the stage, groaning. Robin got up slowly, clutching his jaw. "Man, I'm bleeding way too much," he said, "We have to get to Alfred." "Agreed," I said. We supported each other as we called Alfred to have him come pick us up, and with defeat in our hearts, we stepped outside. All the while, White Knight's creepy, raspy voice haunted my thoughts.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: JUNE 6TH MARKED ONE YEAR OF POSTING FOR ME. I'D LIKE TO THANK ALL MY FOLLOWERS, ESPECIALLY: LOGANAUSTINGRASSO, CELGRESS, SHADACIA RENEELIA, TICHEPOTATO, MSRHEYRHEY, PHYREPHLY, SON OF WHITEBEARD, SYLVIA SILVERBLOOD, AND LAST BUT NEVER LEAST, CHARMSNITCH364! YOU GUYS ARE MY STRONGEST SUPPORTERS, AND I'LL ALWAYS DO MY BEST TO DELIVER FOR YOU!


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER X

After what had ensued at the warehouse, Slade felt the need to call his employer. He told Two-Face, "These are the people I was telling you about." Two-Face looked at the contact name, saying, "'Miss'?" "That's all she gave me," said Slade, "I have no idea what her full name is." Two-Face said, "I'm starting to like this person less and less." "Me too," said Slade, chuckling. He called Ms. Waller, putting the phone on speaker, saying, "Afternoon, 'Miss'." Ms. Waller said, "Have you made any progress on your search?" "I'm very close," said Slade, "He'll be dead in good time." Ms. Waller said, "Don't call me again unless you've found him. Updates are useless to me." She hung up. Two-Face said, "Isn't she just a ray of sunshine!" "Yeah," said Slade, "The worst part is, I have no idea where my target is." "Who says money is superior to power?" said Two-Face, "After all, money is only a means to gain power." "I can understand that," said Slade, "And that's why I'm sticking with you. But I still think this 'Miss' has a lot more power than we do." "That may change," said Two-Face, "We gained at least twenty more men last night." "I don't think that's enough," said Slade. Two-Face rebutted, "You know I like guns, but sometimes, something smaller, like a needle? That'll work just fine. Just because we don't have something big and loud doesn't mean we can't cause something big and loud." "All right," said Slade, "So...who're we after next?" "A disgusting fellow, to say the least," said Two-Face, "His name is Cornelius Stirk." "And he has, what, exactly?" asked Slade. "Some kind of hormonal mutation," said Two-Face, "It allows him to release pheromones. If you inhale said pheromones, he can appear as whoever he wants. And usually, it's someone you know. He gets that info through telepathy." Slade nodded, knowing already how he had to prepare. But he still had one more question.

"What does he do after you see him?" "Lures you into a room and kills you," said Two-Face immediately, "After which he boils, or fries, or sometimes even bakes your heart as his dinner." "You make quite the case," said Slade, "Why's he so important?" "Because people fear him," said Two-Face, "We take him out, people stop fearing him and start fearing us. We'll be known. We've taken down the Sewer Rats, we've killed Count Vertigo, and soon, we'll kill Cornelius Stirk." "Can't wait," said Slade, "Where does he live?" "Just ask around," said Two-Face, "You'll find out quick." Two-Face walked out as Slade grabbed a modded version of his mask. Slade walked out, saying, "I'll be fine. You...not so much." "I know," said Two-Face, "I'll be a decoy." "Okay," said Slade, "Let's head out." They walked the streets of the underground, asking various meth-heads and stoners (as they were immune to Cornelius' abilities while high) about Cornelius' whereabouts. One had followed Cornelius to his apartment, but was too afraid to go in. Two-Face forcefully got directions from the guy, and he and Slade walked to the address given. Once they got to the door, Two-Face said, "I'll just assume it's locked." He kicked the door open, raising his pistol and pulling back the hammer. Slade slipped on his mask. It was modified with air filters so he'd remain safe.

The stench hit them immediately. But it wasn't from the apartment, oddly. The home itself was kept rather tidy. Slade hid in an obscure corner as Two-Face delved farther into the eerie place. He came upon the well-kept kitchen. Out of severe, morbid curiosity, he walked over to the sparkling white fridge, opening the freezer. What he found was numerous human hearts of several sizes and various states of health. "Yeesh," said Two-Face. He closed the freezer, the smell that had hit them intensifying as he went farther forward. He went past the pristine and pleasant-smelling bathroom. Soon, the stench hit its peak, and Two-Face heard a female voice say, "Harvey? Harvey, is that you?" Two-Face knew the voice. It was the voice of his older sister, Cynthia. Harvey almost believed it really was her, but White Knight chuckled and said to himself, "You're going to have to do better." Suddenly, someone who seemed to be Cynthia walked up to Harvey. "She" seemed to be limping slightly, and her clothes were tattered. Two-Face was approached by the person, and they said, "Harvey, I've been trapped here! There's some creeper living here! I think I saw a back room! We can hole up in there!" Harvey gulped, saying, "M-maybe this really is her." "Oh, come ON," said White Knight, "I can't believe I'm that gullible. She's DEAD. You know this. And even if it was her, we haven't seen her in twenty years. She doesn't look forty to me." Harvey couldn't stand it. He knew Cindy was dead. There was just a part of him that couldn't accept it. Then whoever it was ran a hand over his scars. Then all the hardships, including his sister's death, came back in full force to him. And he saw a shadow behind whoever it was.

He heard Deathstroke say, "Move a little to your left." Harvey did so, and whoever it was didn't have time to dodge Deathstroke's bullet. It ripped through their neck, spraying blood on the walls and on both Deathstroke and Two-Face. The person fell hard to the ground. It was then perfectly clear to Harvey that "whoever it was" was, in fact, Cornelius Stirk, a raggedy, lanky man with numerous missing teeth, blood-stained lips, wild eyes, and unkempt red hair. Deathstroke said, "That was a bit easier than expected. You going to meet me outside?" "No, you can head on back for now," said Two-Face, "I'll meet you at the apartment building." Slade took off his mask, walking out of the apartment and heading towards their place. Two-Face heard the door clack closed. It was at that moment that Harvey Dent overtook White Knight entirely and sobbed loudly. He backed up against the wall, sliding down to the floor. He stared at Cornelius' dead body. He knew for sure that it wasn't his sister now, but still, as far as he was concerned, he had seen her get shot through the neck. She had died again. He began crying louder, his scrambled emotions making it torturous and confusing. At times, it seemed to be cries of sorrow, other times, groans of anger, and still other times, whimpers of fear. A thought he'd had many times before in his life came into his head once more at this moment. He looked at his revolver. He saw the blood that was already seeping into his shirt. He opened his mouth wide, sticking the revolver's barrel inside. More tears flowed from his eyes as he prepared to flip his coin. He couldn't take it, shutting his eyes and groaning with anguish as he flipped his coin.

He heard the coin land in the pooling blood on the wood floor. He slowly opened his eyes, somewhat hoping for heads. It had landed on tails. He sobbed once more, taking out the revolver and letting his hand drop to the floor. Harvey Dent weakened, and White Knight took over, saying, "You're one nasty &amp;#$% , Lady Luck." He picked himself up from the floor, wiping the tears off his face, and leaving Cornelius Stirk's body behind. He walked down the streets of the underground, saying, "Harvey, you shouldn't have thought about that." "What would you have done?" asked Harvey, sobbing once more. "I would've pushed past it," snapped White Knight, "I wouldn't have meddled with stupid emotions. You know that! And besides, it wasn't really our sister." Harvey sobbed again, saying, "I know! But it looked like her! I haven't seen her in so..." His voice was overridden by several more sobs, and he almost stopped walking until White Knight snarled and said, "Now's not the time to be nostalgic! I haven't seen her either. At least I can come to grips with reality, though. She's dead, that wasn't her, and we'll never see her again! Deal with it." White Knight was in full control now, leaving Harvey Dent in the recesses of Two-Face's mind. He walked back to the apartment complex he and Slade were staying in while flipping his coin.

The following morning, Cornelius Stirk's murder had been reported to the news, and Two-Face was finally recognized as a threat. He had taken out several of the underground's most feared players in a matter of only a few days. And now, it was clear to everyone that he wasn't working alone. One of the prostitutes (who remained anonymous) who was at the Sewer Rats' lair said that she remembered a tough-looking Australian guy walk in. I knew that had to be Slade. Dick was in the hotel room with me, watching the news as well. He said, "With all these things happening, maybe the police will finally crack down on these guys." "Doubtful," I said, "The police have never been that big of a deal in the underground." Barbara was also in the room, sitting in a swivel chair. She said, "I think Dick's right. I don't think the police will catch Dent or this Slade guy." I sighed and said, "Then I guess we'll have to." I pointed to Barbara, finishing, "But again, you're not going out for any field work." Barbara nodded, slightly disappointed but understanding. I continued, "Do you happen to know any good places to eat, Barbara?" "I know a place that's got some really good Philly cheese-steaks," said Barbara. "Let's do that," I said, "I need to take my mind off of this for a while." "Okay, just let me change real quick," said Barbara, "It's a little cold out there." She walked out of the room, and Dick and I got our shoes on. Since we had to make sure no one knew Dick was with us, he sneaked out through a back window, while I just walked out front. I got in the Maserati I'd come in, and Dick met me there, getting in the passenger-side front seat.

Eventually, Barbara got into the backseat, and Dick turned to face her, beginning to say, "Okay, so, where...?" He froze. Barbara said, "Okay, now you are staring at my chest." "No, I'm staring at what's on your chest. You listen to ADTR?" "What?" I asked. "A Day to Remember," said Barbara. She turned to Dick and said, "Yeah, why?" "So do I," said Dick, "You've got some good taste in music, girl." "Wait a minute," I said turning to Barbara and Dick in turn, "I thought you liked pop punk, and you liked metal." Dick interlocked his fingers, facing me and saying, "ADTR is a sort of a middle ground. They switch from metalcore to pop punk frequently. And it makes her," he pointed to Barbara, "that much hotter." "Well, at least we found something we both like," said Barbara, "By the way...what kind of music do you like, Mr. Wayne?" I shrugged, saying, "Almost anything, as long as it's good. But I do have a little bit of a preference for dubstep." Barbara nodded, giving us the directions to the cheese-steak joint. Once we reached it and walked in, we ordered carefully and sat down, waiting for our food to be ready. Dick and Barbara were already conversing about all kinds of bands that I'd never heard of. I smiled. "I'm glad to see you guys are getting to know each other," I said. Dick said, "I'm glad too." Barbara smiled and said, "I guess I make three." Dick made direct eye contact with Barbara, and his face suddenly became flushed. "What's the matter?" asked Barbara. Dick answered, "Your eyes are just really intense. Don't get me wrong, they're really attractive, but that's a pretty intimidating stare you have." "Then I guess I'll have to use it someday," said Barbara, widening her eyes. Dick laughed, saying, "You know what? You mind smiling?" Barbara smiled widely, and Dick did the same, pulling her close. He took out his phone and took a selfie. "There we go," he said, "Now it's official: we're friends." Barbara seemed a little taken aback, but eventually, she smiled wider and said, "I guess we are." It was all smiling faces as our food was brought over.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER XI

That night, after Dick went to sleep, I went down to the Batmobile and put on my costume, climbing up the side of the building to find Jim and Barbara's room. I peered through the window, tapping lightly. Jim was sitting at his laptop, while Barbara was fast asleep in one of the two beds. Jim looked towards me, tiptoeing across the room to open the window. After he let me through, he looked towards Barbara to make sure we hadn't woken her up. He motioned for me to come outside the room with him. We walked out, and Jim asked, "What are you doing, tapping at my window at this hour?" "I've been trying to...deal with something," I said, "And it seems like I can't. I need to talk with someone." "Okay, who?" asked Jim. I sighed before answering. A few minutes later, the Joker was on Skype, saying, "You just pulled me from a great spooning session with my wife. This better be good." As much as I didn't need to hear about the..."spooning session", I said, "Look, I just need some help." "Is it about Two-Face?" asked the Joker. I sighed, saying, "Yes. And that's part of the problem. I just can't call him..." "Two-Face?" interrupted the Joker, "I keep telling you, giving him a new name will allow you to be at least a little detached. As long as he's not Harvey Dent to you, you don't have to agonize about hurting Harvey Dent." I rubbed my chin, the nagging feeling that the name Two-Face might help pushing at me. I tried to push past it by continuing in the conversation.

I said, "I just...I see him, and I see me. Or, at least, a worse version of me." The Joker said, "What are you expecting? Are you going to try to bring him back from the dark side? Right. I've met his type before. His sadness turned to anger, that turned to bitterness, and now, that turned to villainy." I furrowed my brow, saying, "How've you met 'his type'? Who do you know who's like that?" "Darth Vader," said the Joker, "But seriously though, the path he's taken isn't an uncommon one. You, however, shouldn't see a worse version of yourself. You're completely different." "Sure," I said, rolling my eyes. The Joker sighed, saying, "Look, you didn't hate the world when your parents died. You just hated Joe Chill, and yourself. You saw a sick world that night and wanted to help be the cure. Harvey Dent saw a sick world and wanted to help it die." "I just can't separate us, though," I said, "We seem alike, almost." "You are incorrigible," said the Joker, hanging his head. He raised his head up again, sighing again and saying, "I don't know. If you won't call him Two-Face and you won't separate your two completely different paths, then maybe hitting him on the head might rectify his psychological issues. Unless, of course, you have a degree in psychology. If you have that, it'll be easier." "What if I don't need that?" I said, "What if I just talk to him?" The Joker was in deep thought for a minute. He planned carefully what he was going to say.

The Joker eventually responded, "If you try that..." He sighed yet again, saying, "I don't know, really. From what I can tell, the Harvey Dent side would probably be more peaceful." "How do you know which side is which?" I asked. The Joker answered, "When his voice is rougher, it's a good clue that he's talking as White Knight. But another good indicator is the direction of his gaze. If he's looking more to his left, he talks like Harvey Dent, like...one personality is pushing the other. Anyway, if that is the case, then appealing to him and calling him Harvey might help your case. One side would respond better, the other wouldn't. One could strengthen. It wouldn't be as good as several years of therapy, of course, but it could temporarily throw White Knight to the back, and Harvey Dent could convince himself to stop. But I'm telling you, it's more unlikely than anything else." "I want to keep myself from hurting him as long as possible," I said, "This has to work." The Joker said, "Fine. Go do what you want. It's not like I can do anything about it." He ended the call, and I thought about how I should find Harvey. "Maybe a bar?" I said to myself. I decided to ask Andy. I went to his place, knocking on the door. He answered, saying, "Batman? What're you doing here?" "What's a bar that someone could go to if they're looking to be hidden?" I asked. Andy was surprised by the question, saying, "What, you looking to get hung over?" "No," I said, "I'm looking for someone." "Harvey Dent?" said Andy. I nodded slowly. Andy said, "Maybe...Fish Hook's. It's owned by an old sailor. It's out of the way. If you don't find him there, try Loser's. He might be there for the drink or the atmosphere." I nodded, saying, "Thanks." As I turned, Andy put his hand on my shoulder.

He asked, "I may not be able to see all of your face, but what I do see, I've seen in a lot of soldiers. What're you afraid of?" I gulped, saying, "I guess I'll find out." Andy took his hand off my shoulder, turning and closing his door. I walked away from his house, hanging my head. I asked Alfred to get the directions for Fish Hook's and Loser's. I made my way to Fish Hook's. Once I entered, I noticed the owner was tending the bar. I walked straight up to him. He said, "Batman. Pleased to meet your acquaintance." "Has Harvey Dent been here?" I asked. "I think you'd see it in our eyes if that villain's been here," said the owner, "Now, do you want anything to drink?" I said, "No, thank you. I'm fine." As I walked out, the owner chuckled and said quietly, "You look like you could use one." My next stop was Loser's. I walked to the place, entering. I didn't expect what I saw. There was literally no one drunk, and no one at the bar seemed to be depressed. I walked up to the bartender, a girl in her early twenties. She immediately said, "Yo, Batman! To what do we owe this pleasure?" "I was going to ask..." I began. I didn't finish, knowing that Harvey Dent couldn't possibly have come here. It was out of the way, but it was also a happy atmosphere. The bartender said, "Well, I guess that question doesn't matter now. Want a drink?" "No, I'm okay," I said. I asked, "Why's everybody...?" "So happy?" interrupted the bartender. I nodded, and she smirked slightly.

She said, "We're not like most bars. You see, the owner, his nickname was 'Loser' all through high school, 'cause he was a slacker's slacker. He failed classes, he smoked, he got with every girl who'd let him, and one day, it all changed. He saw this homeless guy with a smile on his face. For whatever reason, that got him to focus. He sped through the rest of high school without any hitches, and he graduated. He went all the way through college, got a degree in philosophy, and founded this place." "And...?" I said. She continued, "We have a drink limit for everyone here, that way no one comes here for some superficial fix. And every other week, we have a motivational speaker come in. Instead of getting drunk off their butts and regretting it the next morning, people walk through these doors for something more. It's a good system." I was curious, asking, "How'd you end up here?" The bartender laughed lightly, saying, "I'm going to be honest here: I was a huge whore. I had 'appointments' almost every day, and I thought I had it good: lots of sex, plenty of money. But one day, a 'customer' got a little rough, and I decided I needed to find the nearest bar. Fortunately, I came here. The owner was the bartender back then. There was a speaker, and I was interested. Instead of asking for a big mug, I asked for a small shot. The owner saw my face, and all he asked was, 'How much?'. I didn't know what he meant until I asked. He just told me he needed another bartender. I asked him why, and he just said, 'You look like you need a job.'. He didn't ask any questions about what I did before, he just asked me how much I needed to be paid. I spilled my story, and he just asked me how much people paid me for my...'services'. I told him, and he set me up with a salary twice as high." I raised my eyebrows, saying, "Wow." "Yep," said the bartender, "This place saved my life." I looked down at her arm, noticing a tattoo that said, "1 Cor. 5:17" on her wrist.

"What's that mean?" I asked. She said, "'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here.'. The owner invited me to his church. I bet you're not into that." I chuckled, saying, "No. But I'm not one to step on anyone's views." "Neither am I," said the bartender, "You sure you don't want that drink?" "I could use some Jack Daniel's," I said, deciding it wouldn't hurt. The bartender said, "Coming right up." I stayed at Loser's for another half hour, and when I walked out, I realized I was smiling. "I'll have to remember this place," I said. Then I remembered Harvey Dent. I steeled myself, saying, "I'll talk to him tomorrow." At first, I wasn't really wanting to talk to him. My fear of failure was bigger than my anticipation of success. But after going to Loser's, I was encouraged. I finally thought, Maybe I can do this. I got onto the rooftops, heading to the hotel we were staying at. Once I reached it, I noticed that everyone outside was on high alert. I got down to the ground, seeing Jim with tear tracks on his face and his gun in hand. He looked dejected and hopeless. I walked up to him quickly. He looked up at me, saying, "Where were you?" "I-I was looking for..." I began. "Harvey Dent?" said Jim, "Well you just missed him, and his maniac friend!" I was shocked. I said, "Jim, what happened?!" "They took my daughter," said Jim, "They took my daughter!" He covered his face with his hands, sobbing softly. He said, "You were supposed to protect her! Why do you seem to have a problem confronting Dent?" I didn't answer his question. Instead, I said, "I'll get her back, Jim. I swear on my life." Jim didn't seem to pay attention, getting up and walking off. I hung my head, his last question haunting me. I already knew the answer.

Meanwhile, Two-Face and Deathstroke were driving back to the apartment complex in a stolen car. Two-Face looked in the backseat towards an unconscious and bleeding Barbara Gordon. Deathstroke had struck the side of her head so she'd stop struggling. Harvey Dent said, "I told you she wouldn't be a threat! What kind of crazy idea was this?" "You agreed to it," said Deathstroke. Harvey said, "No, I didn't! That was White Knight!" "Look, it's likely Batman's with her," said Deathstroke, "We threaten her, he comes to the rescue, and we have a trapped bat! With the other guys getting supplies, this'll work out fine." Suddenly, they both heard a small groan coming from the backseat. Barbara's eyes fluttered open, and White Knight turned, looking straight at her. She screamed, the duct tape over her mouth muffling her. The scream broke down into several sobs. White Knight creepily stroked Barbara's hair, saying, "Don't worry. We'll have lots of fun." Harvey Dent took over and drew back, saying, "Shut it, White Knight." He turned back to Barbara, saying, "I'm so sorry. This wasn't my idea. We won't hurt you, I promise." "Yeah, as long as your dad complies with our demands," said Deathstroke. Barbara's eyes widened in fear. Harvey said, "You shut up, too, Deathstroke. Barbara, I won't let White Knight or Deathstroke hurt you, okay?" He gently wiped the tears off her face. "Try to sleep," said Harvey. Barbara's eyes closed, and soon, her breathing became soft and relaxed. "Why're you treating her like a kitten?" said Deathstroke. "Because we shouldn't have done this," said Harvey angrily, "This was stupid!" Deathstroke rolled his eyes, saying, "Fine. I won't hurt her. Whatever you want." Even though Harvey didn't quite believe him, he didn't say another word. As they drove back to the apartment complex, Harvey didn't allow Deathstroke to see the tears rolling down his face. What am I doing?, he thought sadly, while Barbara slept peacefully in the back.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE TO POST NEXT SATURDAY, AS I'LL BE AT CiY: MOVE THE WHOLE WEEK. I WON'T HAVE MY PHONE WITH ME, SO I WON'T BE ABLE TO CONTACT YOU EITHER.


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER XII

Once they arrived in the apartment building, Deathstroke and Two-Face got out of the car. Harvey Dent was in control of himself at this time, and so he opened up the back, gently picking up Barbara and carrying her on his back. He could feel her soft breathing on his neck, the left side of her head, wet with blood, and her soft red hair up against the side of his face. He choked up a little bit, and White Knight took over, walking faster. He walked up to the entrance, where Deathstroke had already opened the door. He walked through to the apartment he'd set up in, unceremoniously dropping Barbara into a chair. She woke up with White Knight's face six inches from her's. He smiled creepily. She tried to back up to no avail, instead only pressing herself up against the back of the chair. "What's the problem?" asked White Knight. With the duct tape over Barbara's mouth, she couldn't do anything but emit a muffled scream. White Knight got a few inches closer, until his mangled nose was almost touching Barbara's nose. His hands were resting on the arms of the chair. Barbara groaned nervously. White Knight slowly but surely moved his left hand, resting it on Barbara's right thigh, an inch from her crotch. Barbara shook her head, beginning to cry. White Knight moved his hand over her leg. Suddenly, his right eye widened, and Harvey Dent drew back. He jumped backwards, landing on his back and screaming, "STOP IT! STOP IT, YOU &amp;$%#ING SICKO! You &amp;$%#ing sicko..." He broke down into tears, getting onto his forearms and knees and putting his forehead onto the floor.

White Knight growled, "I wasn't going to do it, you idiot! I just wanted to scare her!" "That's not the point," said Harvey Dent, still sobbing, "I told her no one would hurt her. That's exactly what you're doing!" White Knight got up, saying, "Well, I didn't agree to your little 'no hurting' pact! So I can do this!" He walked straight up to Barbara and yanked on her hair. She screamed in pain, the duct tape muffling her. Harvey Dent suddenly took over, yelling, "NO!", and grabbing his own neck tightly. He used his other hand to tear off the duct tape over Barbara's mouth. His voice was strained, but he managed to say, "When I fall unconscious, yell for Deathstroke, and tell him to handcuff me in another room, all right?" Barbara said weakly, "O-okay." Soon, Harvey Dent's eyes rolled back into his head, and he fell over. Barbara gulped, yelling, "D-Deathstroke?" Slade had taken off his uniform. He stormed in, beginning, "All right, how'd you get the duct tape...?" He looked down at Two-Face. He pointed to him, saying, "What's all this?" Barbara said, "I think...White Knight was going to...he was trying to scare me, and..." She gulped again, continuing, "Harvey...choked himself out. He wants you to handcuff him in another room." Slade stared at Barbara, eventually saying, "It's not like you're going anywhere. Fine." He dragged Two-Face by his arms, out of the room. After they were gone, Barbara began crying hysterically. Her only comfort was thinking about me, her father, and especially Dick. "They'll come for me," she said to herself, "They'll come for me." The crying exhausted her, and once again, she fell asleep.

She woke up a few hours later to the sound of fingers snapping and a voice saying, "Wake up." She slowly opened her eyes, dreading what might happen. She saw Slade, crouching in front of her, with a blank expression on his face. He was holding a water bottle. "Drink," he said simply. He held the bottle up to her lips, slowly tipping it forward. After a few seconds, he drew back, asking, "You want more?" Barbara nodded. Slade complied, and a after a few more sips, Barbara drew back, saying, "I'm okay for now." "All right," said Slade, sealing the bottle. He went behind her, cutting the ropes binding her wrists. Barbara was surprised, looking at Slade. He held up his handgun, turning off the safety. "Don't get too excited," he said, "Try anything, and..." Barbara interrupted, "You'll kill me?" "No," said Slade, "I might wing you, or shoot out your kneecaps. Besides, you can't even run. Your feet are still bound." Slade handed Barbara a shrink-wrapped sandwich. "It's not much, but it'll suffice, I suppose," he said. She took it, unwrapping it and taking a bite. She swallowed, saying, "Why are you doing this?" "We'll need to be in contact with your father eventually," said Slade, "And he'll want proof that you're safe. That would be hard if you starve to death." Slade sat next to Barbara, his gun at the ready. He watched her carefully as she ate.

When she finished, she asked, "What's going to happen to...Harvey?" "Depends on how long it takes for White Knight to cool off," said Slade, "If Harvey can relax and get himself under control, I'll let him free. If not, he stays there for however long it takes." He took out a pair of handcuffs, putting them around Barbara's wrists. He turned on his gun's safety, saying, "I'm not going to duct tape you again. If White Knight tries anything again, just scream. I promised I wouldn't let you get hurt. I intend to uphold that promise." "I thought you were a mercenary," said Barbara. "We can have some measure of integrity," said Slade, walking out. Barbara rested her head on the back of the chair she was in. As Slade walked out, his phone rang. He looked at the contact name, answering, "Miss? I thought you only wanted contact when I got my target." "Well, that would be the case if I didn't figure out you were lying," said Ms. Waller angrily. "What, you have people watching me now?" said Slade, annoyed. "Yes, and you've only been in your lair at night," said Ms. Waller, "What aren't you telling me?" "I'm not even close to finding the guy," said Slade, sighing, "I know an apology would be wasted, so I'll just cut to the chase: I found someone else. He's set me up with a sweet deal that would serve both of us. If his deal goes through, my target will come to me, and I'll get even more rewards, and you can have a few more guys to arrest." Ms. Waller said, "I don't trust you. But from the surveillance I've been able to gather, you're telling the truth." She hung up without another word. Slade pocketed his phone, feeling suspicious. His employer had let him off the hook fairly easily. She didn't seem like someone who'd do that. He decided to be on higher alert from then on.

Meanwhile, Barbara was attempting to go to sleep. But every time she closed her eyes, she could only see Two-Face, and the sensation of his scarred hand on her thigh came back to her. In that moment, she was fully convinced that White Knight was going to rape her. The thoughts flooded back, and she began to cry softly. Her shoulders shook, and her cheeks stung. She sobbed, saying, "Where are you, Dick?" She thought of the boy she barely knew. She'd said that his muscular build wasn't much to speak of, but in reality, she admired it, and she was a little nervous around him. She loved his blue eyes, his long black hair, and his wonderful, gentle voice. Most of all, she loved how he acted around her. She joked about it, but she could tell that he was already devoted to her. She could tell he tried not to trip over himself when she was around, though he often failed. She remembered when they got food just the night before. He had said they were friends, but she could tell he wanted more than that. When both of them reached for ketchup at the same time, their hands touched, and Dick froze. Barbara was able to laugh a little about it, even under the circumstances. Maybe she could go on a date with him sometime. All the same, all she wanted then was to see him again. She wanted to hear his voice comforting her, to feel him holding her close. She wanted a friend, at the very least. "He'll come," she said quietly, calming down. Her eyelids felt heavy, and she dropped off to a dreamless, peaceful sleep. She was even smiling, thinking about her friends.

In another room, Two-Face woke up to find himself handcuffed to a radiator. Thankfully, this particular apartment wasn't up and running, meaning the radiator was cool. Harvey Dent immediately burst into tears. "I hate you, White Knight," he said. "She's fine," said White Knight disdainfully, "I didn't rape her." "You made her think you would," said Harvey Dent, still crying, "That's enough. She is NOT fine. What you did...even I couldn't do that." "Says the guy that ran guns and shot men to death," said White Knight, "It's not like sexual assault is worse than murder." "Maybe not," said Harvey, "But I said she wouldn't get hurt. You violated that." "I didn't agree to it," said White Knight angrily, "And you're not going to get me to. Look, I still respect you enough not to get a scratch on her, if you insist, but if I get the chance, I'll scar her as much as possible. It'll teach her not to try and escape." Harvey Dent began to cry harder, realizing the depravity that lived inside him. It had been festering for years, and now White Knight was its personification. He worried about Barbara, knowing that it was no easy task to wrest control of himself from White Knight. Slade heard him, walking into the room. "You want to stay here longer?" he asked. White Knight growled, "What do you think, dunce?" Harvey Dent said, "Yes. Keep me here as long as possible. Make sure I'm nowhere near Barbara, okay? I don't want her to be hurt." "All right, fine," said Slade, "In that case, I'll block the door and make first contact. Have a good time in solitary." "It's never solitary with me, aussie-boy," said White Knight. Slade walked out, closing the door and jamming a chair underneath the handle.

Outside the hotel where we were staying, I was sitting next to Dick in the alley behind the building. He had been crying. I said to him, "We'll get her back. I promise." Dick didn't meet my eyes, asking, "Are you going to be up to it?" "I have to be," I answered. "Bruce, she might not want to be my girlfriend, but I'm going to love her anyway," said Dick, "That's how badly I want her back. Even if it never gets any further than friends, I'm going to take care of her. We have to get her back." Suddenly, I heard Jim shouting, "Batman! Where are you?" I ruffled Dick's hair, standing up and saying, "I'll have to talk to you later." "Bye," said Dick sadly. I walked off, finding Jim and saying, "What is it?" Jim said, "Harvey's partner in crime is trying to give demands. We have him on speaker in one of the vans." He gestured for me to follow him, walking towards a van. I hopped in after him, and Jim said, "Slade, Batman is here. Now I'm ready for your demands." "You're going to do it that way, huh?" said Slade, "All right. How's your day been, Batman?" "Not good," I said. Slade said, "Wonderful. That'll help. Okay, Jim, listen up." Jim waited. Slade began, "I only have one demand, really: I want you to remove yourself from the underground, along with all your security personnel." Jim clenched his fists. He looked towards me, asking, "Or what?" Slade didn't respond for a few seconds.

Eventually, Slade said, "This lovely lady won't see the light of day." Barbara frantically said, "Dad? Dad, he has a gun!" Slade said, "You have six hours to comply, and if I send my men to your location, and you're still there..." We heard a click as Slade finished, "I'll pull the trigger and mail you what's left of Barbara's head." "What about Batman?" asked Jim. "Actually, I want to meet him again," said Slade, "I want to take him down in person, and if he leaves, that's not going to work out so well." Slade hung up. Jim asked one of the tech guys, "Did you manage to trace the call?" "No," said the tech guy. Jim sighed, turning to me and saying, "It's up to you." He walked past me, out of the van. I stared after him, committed to saving Barbara, for Jim and for Dick.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER XIII

As Jim exited, Slade called again saying, "Nearly forgot a few details. We'll stay in contact with this number. I'll call you periodically. And don't bother trying to trace us. My employers have some expensive tricks up their sleeves. I just let those cops try 'cause it was entertaining." "Fine," I said, "By the way, I have a request." "What would that be?" asked Slade. I sighed, saying, "I want to talk to Har...Two-Face." Slade took a few seconds to respond. Eventually, he said, "Really? You want to talk to him? Why? You going to try to get him on the right track?" I wanted to say no, but there was a part of me that felt I could do it. So I simply said, "The reason isn't important. I want to talk to him alone, and how it goes will determine whether or not I'll go after you." "Interesting," said Slade, "You're stalling. You want to do whatever it takes not to hurt him. Funny. All right. But later. He's...tied up right now, and I have some business to attend to. It's quite important, I'm sure you understand." "What are you doing?" I asked, slightly nervous. "Relax," said Slade, "I'm going to go and see a criminal. Surely there's no harm in that." Before I could respond, Slade quickly hung up. A few minutes later, Jim had agreed to leave the van that Slade would contact with me, and he shook my hand, saying, "I'm sorry about earlier. I know you can't be in two places at once. I'm just..." "I understand," I said, "I've had some painful things happen to me. How you acted doesn't offend me. Just go home and get some rest." Jim shook his head, saying, "No can do. I'll only be able to rest when my daughter's back." Jim walked off, and I hung my head. But I knew we had to get to work.

I walked to Dick, who was still sitting in the alley. I explained the situation to him, slowly but firmly. "I know you love her, and I know this is hard," I said, "But you have to pick yourself up and help me. It's the only way we'll get her back." I extended my hand, and Dick took it, saying, "I do love her, and this is hard. And I'm going to help you." He stood, and I said, "There's no way we can find out where they are by looking aimlessly. We have to ask around." "Where do we start?" asked Dick. "I know a place...and a girl," I said. Dick furrowed his brow as I walked towards the Batmobile, saying, "I'm sorry, what now?" "You'll find out," I said. Dick reluctantly followed me. Meanwhile, Slade had geared up, and he checked on Barbara. She was asleep. "Sweet dreams," said Deathstroke, in spite of himself. He opened the window in her room, letting cool air in. He closed the door behind himself as he exited her room. He contacted the members of the underground force that he and Two-Face had organized, asking them to meet him at a certain alley. "Are we going up against a gang?" asked one. "No, it's one guy," said Deathstroke. "Then why do you need us?" asked the henchman. "Because he's as dangerous as a dozen men," answered Deathstroke. After he finished, he hopped into the stolen car, driving to the alley he'd mentioned. Once he reached it, all the men he'd called were already there. This particular area of the underground was sparsely populated, so Deathstroke didn't need to worry as much about collateral damage. "Who're we going after?" asked one of the henchmen.

Deathstroke answered, "A guy by the name of Joseph Zedno, more commonly known as Faceless." "Why's he called Faceless?" asked another henchman. "Because he has a severe identity disorder," said Deathstroke, "In short, he knows he's somebody, but his brain can't interpret who that is. And so, being a guy who worked making costumes, he makes masks. That way, he can be whoever he wants." He walked towards the smell of decay coming from a corner of the alley. "It's also 'cause of this," he said. He shone his flashlight into the corner, revealing the dead body of a man who'd evidently had his face cut off. Blood was stained down the front of his shirt, and his red mouth hung open in a grotesque display of death. "When you're out of rubber..." said Deathstroke. One of the henchmen threw up. "Stay alert," said Deathstroke, "He might even be disguised as a dead body." He looked to the henchmen, who were all obviously shaken up. "None of you back out now," said Deathstroke, "I won't hesitate to take you down." One of the henchmen nodded nervously. "We'll all stay, sir," he said. "Good," said Deathstroke, "Let's get in there." They walked through a door on the side of the building from the alley, walking down the first hall. They heard nothing but their own footsteps an breathing, the eerie situation heightening with every second. "What apartment does this guy live in?" asked a henchman. "No idea," said Deathstroke, "Nobody but him lives in this building, probably because everyone's scared of him. It's likely that with all the space, he moves around. Keep your eyes peeled." The henchman gulped, and they carried on cautiously.

Meanwhile, Robin and I were at Loser's. When we entered, the bartender said, "Hey, Batman! And who's this?" "Robin," said Robin, "I'm his friend." "Cool," she said, "So, what brings you here?" I sighed, explaining the situation with Barbara. She nodded, looking to Dick and saying, "I take it you're attracted to this girl." "What?" asked Dick. "Oh, come on," said the bartender, "I saw how you were acting when he was talking about her. You care about her more than just an acquaintance, and more than just a friend. You love this girl." Robin nodded slowly, and I continued, "I'm trying to talk to Harvey Dent right now. I want to resolve this peacefully. But I can't do that without getting to his partner in crime. And I don't know where he is, other than that he's going after a criminal." The bartender thought for a few seconds. "Maybe..." she began. She walked over to a clipboard. "What's that?" I asked. "We have a list of criminals," she said, "That way if one walks in, we know to be careful." "What about calling the police?" asked Robin. "Doesn't work around here, man," said the bartender, "See those holes in the bar? A bunch of Sewer Rats came through a couple months ago. I got shot in the thigh. The police didn't do anything." I shook my head. The bartender flipped through the numerous sheets of paper on the clipboard. "Ah," she said, "There we go. Try this guy." She showed me the sheet of paper. It had Joseph Zedno's photo on it. "You want to go after a really feared criminal, like those two have been doing, go after this guy," she said. She got a napkin, writing down his address. "Everyone knows this place 'cause everyone wants to stay away," she finished, "Be careful going there, though." "I will," I said, "By the way, I never caught your name." She shook my hand, saying, "Hannah." "Thanks, Hannah," I said. She nodded as we walked out.

We walked to the Batmobile, hopping in and driving towards the address. Meanwhile, Deathstroke and his men were on the fourth floor of the building, walking past several apartments. Suddenly, Deathstroke heard a clunk to his left, in a darkened apartment. "Stay back," he whispered to the henchmen, "If I'm not out in five minutes, come in and shoot the heck out of the place." The henchmen nodded as Deathstroke silently extended his wrist blades. He held them out in front of himself, turning on the night vision in his helmet. He didn't smell, hear, or see anything. "Not good," he whispered to himself. "You're right about that," said a voice behind him. Deathstroke turned quickly to see Faceless, a muscular, tall man with short red hair and a creepy smile. Deathstroke attempted to ram one of the wrist blades into Faceless' stomach, but Faceless caught his wrist and punched him in the face. Deathstroke reeled back, managing to kick Faceless in the groin. Faceless doubled over, and Deathstroke backed up a little, saying, "Works every time." He proceeded to kick Faceless in the head, knocking him over. He stood over Faceless, saying, "You're all just too easy." "Then how about you fight someone more challenging?" I said from behind him. "How'd you get in?" asked Deathstroke. "I opened the door to the building and punched out all your men," I said, "It's actually really simple, when you look at it." "I don't have time for your cheek, Batman," said Deathstroke. "Sure," I said. "Why are you being so...?" Deathstroke began. Before he could finish his question, Faceless got up, tackling Deathstroke. I kicked Faceless in the side, knocking him off Deathstroke. "I had him!" said Deathstroke angrily. I glared at Deathstroke.

I said, "That's not the point. He's a criminal. He should go to jail." "How many times do I have to say the police are terrible down here?" said Deathstroke, getting up. He pulled a pistol on me. Before he could fire, I quickly performed an upward block, making his shot go over my head. I punched him in the gut immediately afterwards. I heard rustling behind me, delivering a backwards kick. I hit Faceless' chest, sending him backwards. I swept his legs out from under him, and his head hit the floor with a sharp CRACK. "That ought to do it," I said. Faceless groaned, drifting in and out of consciousness. I quickly got down low, punching him in the face and handcuffing him. I got up, turning towards Deathstroke and saying, "It's just you and me now." "No..." said Deathstroke. He ran towards me, jumping and using my shoulders as a springboard, landing with a stomp to Faceless' neck. I heard a SNAP, and Deathstroke finished, "Now it is." Deathstroke was so quick, I didn't have time to react. "How did you...?" I began. Deathstroke interrupted, "I'm a bit of what you'd call an experiment. Back in the ASIS, they were trying to create a new, improved soldier. When it was my turn to try it out, they'd just recently modified the formula. Now, I'm faster, stronger, and tougher. You've got your work cut out for you." "I've been up against worse," I said. "Really?" said Deathstroke. "...No," I said. Deathstroke laughed, saying, "At least you're good at keeping your cool." I assumed a fighting stance as Deathstroke drew his sword again.

"How's that arm of yours, by the way?" he asked. "It could be better, but you've got to up your sword game," I said. "You're tougher than I expected," said Deathstroke, "But that means I don't have to play around anymore. It's time to get serious." He swung his sword towards me, aiming for my stomach. I leaped backwards, keeping my distance. He quickly tried to sweep my legs, but I jumped over, landing and rolling out of the way. Deathstroke sheathed his sword, saying, "I guess it'll just be fists now." He aimed a kick at my head, but I caught his foot, throwing it aside and making him topple over. He caught himself in a plank position, using his legs to roll forward and get back up. He ran towards me, throwing two punches at me. I caught both his fists, and we struggled at each other for a minute before Deathstroke said, "Next best thing, then." He headbutted me, and I was sent reeling. Spots were dancing in my vision, and I said weakly, "You've got...a hard head." "Nah, that's just the hel..." Deathstroke trailed off. "Say, where's your sidekick?" asked Deathstroke. "He's not in here," I said, "I wasn't going to let him fight someone like you. And besides, if I told you, you'd try to kill him to get to me." "Ah, you know me too well, mate," said Deathstroke, "All right, don't tell me." Deathstroke suddenly heard a rustling from behind him. Robin lunged out of the darkness, growling. I said loudly, "Robin, NO!" Deathstroke quickly turned, extending one of his wrist blades. He turned away after a few seconds, saying, "Got to run," and jumped out the window as Robin fell to the floor, blood seeping from his stomach. I cradled Robin's head, saying, "No, NO! Stay with me, buddy, stay with me." I got him over my shoulders, carrying him out of the building.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER XIV

A couple hours later, Dick's eyes opened slowly, and the first thing he saw was me by his bedside, a scowl across my face and my arms folded across my chest. Dick groaned, saying, "Look, Bruce, I..." "Shut it," I interrupted, getting up in his face, "I told you to stay BACK. I get it, you love Barbara, you'd do anything to save her, but you crossed the line! If you hadn't gotten involved, I might have taken down Deathstroke!" "Or you might've gotten your guts spilled by his broadsword!" said Dick angrily, "I was just trying to help!" "Well, you failed," I retorted. Dick swallowed. I backed up, saying, "Right now, you're too emotionally invested to go out into the field. Alfred will be taking you to the manor." "What about you?" asked Dick. I sighed, saying, "I'm not the one in love with her. I'll have a better time keeping a level head. I'm staying." Dick looked frustrated, saying, "But you're so scared about confronting Two-Face! When're you going to pluck up and fight him? The way I see it, you're the one who's too emotionally invested! You still regret that you couldn't save him, and now, because you had similarly sucky childhoods, you still want to try!" "I'm going to confront him!" I said, "I just don't have the chance right now! And besides, I'm not doing this out of sympathy!" "You can't fool me!" said Dick, "Like heck it isn't out of sympathy!" I sat down, rubbing my face. I eventually said, "Let's just drop it right now. Alfred should walk in here any second to take you." I got up, walking out. I leaned up against the wall just outside, sighing heavily.

Alfred walked up to me shortly afterwards, saying, "The car's prepared, Master Wayne...you look a little irritated, Bruce. I take it Master Grayson wasn't feeling very friendly." I told Alfred about the conversation, finishing, "I probably didn't deserve friendliness, now that I really think about it." "Come off it," said Alfred, "A firm but well-meaning reprimand is better than saying that it's going to be all right." "Why do you say that?" I asked, "You think it won't be all right?" "I think it will turn out quite well," said Alfred, "But there will be bad things down the road. Master Grayson needs to realize that. So do you." "I guess you're right," I said. Alfred asked, "Are you sure you'll be all right by yourself, Master Wayne?" "I have my phone, and I found a nice place to clear my head," I answered, "I think I'll be okay." Alfred nodded, walking into the room where Dick was laying. He asked Dick, "Are you ready, Master Grayson?" "As I'll ever be," said Dick quietly. Alfred wheeled Dick out of the room on a wheelchair he'd brought up earlier. Dick had his luggage on his lap. He looked up at me as they passed, saying, "Bye, Bruce. Get her back." I nodded solemnly, saying, "I promise I will." Dick nodded back, and then looked straight ahead of himself. I walked into the room, looking out the window. I asked no one in particular, "Where are you, Harvey?" I sighed as I pondered the question, still staring out over the desolate skyline of the underground.

Meanwhile, Harvey Dent found himself in a public bathroom, staring at the mirror, with no recollection of how he got there. He looked to his right, seeing the side of a stall, the panel riddled with graffiti tags consisting of all kinds of sexual profanity. He looked to his left, seeing a scratched, dinged-up electric hand dryer. He smelled some kind of Febreze air freshener wafting through. It was then that he looked back to the mirror. It finally registered that his face was restored. No longer was it reddened and marred. It was now perfect, his skin fresh-looking and his teeth gleaming, as if he'd just undergone a makeover. He looked at his hands. His left one was longer burnt. He ran it through the left side of his hair. Though it felt good to see it this way again, Harvey knew it was too good to be true. "This is a dream," he said quietly. He walked to the door of the bathroom, pulling on the handle. It was locked. He pulled at it desperately, growling in frustration. "Come on!" he said angrily, "Open!" "How's it feel to be trapped?" asked a female voice from the other side of the bathroom. It came from inside the stall farthest from the entrance. He opened the door to it. Inside, there stood Barbara Gordon, just as she looked after she was kidnapped. Though Harvey realized she wasn't real, he was terrified. And he simply couldn't figure out why. He just knew something was off.

Harvey gulped, and suddenly, Barbara's image flashed. In an instant, she was slumped over on the toilet, stripped down to her underwear, blood smeared on her limbs and even more on the walls, cuts all over her. The worst of it all: her head was resting on the side of the stall, blood leaking like a faucet from her mouth, and her eyes staring directly at Harvey. "Why did you hurt me so much?" she gurgled angrily. Harvey stumbled backwards, screaming in horror. He hit the wall, sliding to the floor. The mutilated version of Barbara smiled devilishly, her pale skin giving off an eerie glow. Suddenly, like the room was filled with speakers, Harvey heard White Knight say, "Don't you get it? She's going to end up like this the minute you get released from the room you're in! She's going to scream desperately as you mercilessly murder her! You'll ignore her cries for mercy as you mutilate her flesh!" "NO, NO!" screamed Harvey, "ONLY YOU WOULD DO THAT! I'D NEVER HURT HER! I'M GOING TO TAKE CARE OF HER! SHE WON'T END UP LIKE THIS! GO AWAY! GET OUT! I HATE YOU! KEEP YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF HER, *#$% IT!" Suddenly, he felt a small, warm hand on his shoulder. He was afraid to look up, afraid he might see the bloodied, vicious version of Barbara. He kept his eyes covered with his hands until he felt a soft pair of lips press to his forehead. He began to tear up, slowly lowering his hands, his mouth gaping in surprise.

Strands of Barbara's hair were resting across Harvey's face. He felt her draw back. He looked at her face. It wasn't the demonic, paranoia induced version he'd seen only a minute ago. In fact, the Barbara he saw now looked better than how she really looked at the moment. There was no blood on the side of her head. There were no bruises on her wrists from the cords binding her. She took her hand off his shoulder and used it to lightly stroke the left side of his face. He could barely feel her hand. He looked to his left hand. It was burnt again. He felt the left side of his face. The scars were back. "W-why are you...?" he began to ask. Barbara interrupted, "Shh. Don't worry about it. It's okay." Harvey was bewildered, asking, "Why are you saying these things? Why are you doing this?" Barbara responded, "I forgive you for what happened. It wasn't your fault." "What do you mean, it wasn't my fault?" asked Harvey, "Of course it was." Barbara shushed him again, hugging Harvey. Harvey began to cry, taken by surprise by her kind gesture. Barbara backed up, gesturing towards the door. "You can go now, I bet," she said. Harvey smiled, getting up and walking out of the nightmare.

Barbara watched as Harvey's breathing became less frantic, and she lightly stroked his hair, smiling. She had tears in her eyes. Slade was standing beside her, with new rope. She stood, holding out her hands. Slade tied them up again, asking, "Why'd you want to do this?" "I heard him screaming," she answered, "I had to help him." "Do you really forgive him?" asked Slade. Barbara said, "I thought the kiss on the forehead and the hug would prove my authenticity." "What was with the 'I bet you could go' bit?" asked Slade. "Before he started screaming, I heard him growl about something he wanted to open," said Barbara, "I guessed he was talking about a door." As Slade and Barbara walked out of the room Harvey was trapped in, Barbara looked back at Harvey. He was sleeping more peacefully. "Are you sure this isn't just Stockholm syndrome?" asked Slade. "I don't support your kidnapping of me," said Barbara, "But Harvey needs help. That's all." "If you say so," said Slade skeptically, "But there's still no way you'd help him, knowing White Knight is just a part of him." "Maybe he doesn't have to be," said Barbara, "He can be saved. I know it." Slade snickered, saying, "Batman thinks that too. He won't admit it, but he does." Barbara asked, "Really?" As Slade lead her to the chair in her room, he said, "Yeah. I think you and he both are being idiots. Two-Face is too far gone. Save your bleeding hearts for someone else." Slade walked out, closing the door behind him.

Meanwhile, Two-Face woke with a start, saying, "Barbara?..." He looked around the empty room, finishing, "No. Of course not." White Knight said, "Did you dream any?" Harvey got angry, taking over White Knight and saying, "I had a nightmare, thanks to you." He described the dream in detail to White Knight. White Knight said, "That voice wasn't me. Well, not really me. I told you I wouldn't hurt her physically, and I meant it. I wouldn't try to get some kind of petty revenge by making you have a nightmare like that. Admit it. The me you heard and the Barbara you saw were created by your own fears, most notably the one that you'll end up hurting Barbara without any way to stop it. You didn't want to admit it to yourself, even, so you brought my voice in to make it seem like it was me. I was a scapegoat in that dream." Harvey gulped, saying, "F-fine. I'm scared that I'll hurt Barbara." "That's settled, then," said White Knight. Harvey rested his head against the radiator, sighing heavily. "Why was she there, though?" Harvey asked himself, "Not the evil version, the nice, comforting one." "You were probably just trying to cope with your fear," said White Knight. "No, I was paralyzed with fear," said Harvey, "I couldn't think about anything else then. There was no way I brought her into the dream." "Then maybe she was here," said White Knight, "Outside events can influence dreams." "Nah," said Harvey, "There's no way she'd come in here. Not with you." White Knight shrugged as Harvey tried to drift back into a more peaceful sleep.

Back at Wayne Manor, Dick was laying in his bed, wide awake. He was trying to read The Lord of the Rings, but thoughts of Barbara crowded it out. He closed the book, sighing. Alfred knocked at his door, saying, "Master Grayson, are you still awake?" "Yeah, Alfred, come on in," said Dick. Alfred walked in, sitting on the bed and looking at Dick. He said, "Master Grayson, I know you're upset with Master Wayne." "More than upset, Alfred," said Dick, "I just can't understand why he'd want to save Two-Face. Look what he's done!" Alfred sighed, saying, "Well, Master Grayson, I see where Master Wayne is coming from. Remember I was the only one left to raise him when his parents were killed. I saw how he felt. I believe the reason Master Wayne is so set on helping Harvey is because he believes he might have turned out just like him." "No way!" said Dick, "He's too..." "Too what?" said Alfred, raising his eyebrows, "He's not anything but a man. That's what you must realize. And men are imperfect. Take a look at Master Wayne, and you see a hurting man who was guided through his troubles by a caring hand. Take a look at Harvey Dent, and you see a hurting man who was led astray or ignored by anyone who could have helped him. Believe me, if things had gone differently, Bruce Wayne would've been just as bad, or worse, than Harvey Dent. Just try to understand. And get some rest." Alfred stood, and just before he walked out, Dick said, "I'll try." Alfred turned to Dick, saying, "Thank you, Master Grayson." Alfred walked out, closing the door behind him. Dick looked out his window, saying, "Be safe out there, Bruce." He sighed, laying back and closing his eyes.


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER XV

Two-Face woke with a start. White Knight said, "What's got you so jittery?" "Nothing," said Harvey, "I think." White Knight said, "I'm finally feeling a little tired." "Good," said Harvey. Suddenly, Harvey felt White Knight subside, and he sighed. He yelled, "SLADE!" Slade walked into the room. Immediately, Harvey said, "I need you to get these cuffs off of me." "You're sure?" asked Slade. "White Knight's asleep," said Harvey. Slade furrowed his brow. Eventually, he said, "Huh. When you go asleep, you shut down all the way. But when White Knight goes to sleep, you can still be up and around. You must be dominant." "Doesn't feel like it," said Harvey, "Now, get me out of these things." Slade looked reluctant, but went ahead with it anyway. He walked over to Harvey, unlocking the cuffs. Harvey rubbed his sore wrists. "I need to get a new tux," he said. "Can't do anything about that," said Slade. Harvey looked down at the part of his tux that was stained with Cornelius Stirk's blood. He sighed, saying, "Fine, Slade. I need to get out, though." "Well, Batman wants to talk to you," said Slade, "Sounds like an opportunity to get out to me." "He wants to talk to me, huh?" asked Harvey. Slade nodded, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. "He wants to stall any kind of confrontation," said Harvey, smiling cynically, "Okay. Fine, I'll talk to him. You got a way to contact him?" Slade held up the phone Ms. Waller had given him. "Ring him up," said Harvey. Slade nodded, unlocking the phone and dialing the police van.

I had decided to sleep in the police van that night to make sure I'd catch any calls. It most certainly paid off. When the phone rang, I woke up suddenly, falling backwards in my chair. I cursed, scrambling over the chair, getting up and grabbing the phone and pulling it to my ear. "Y..." I began in my normal voice. I caught myself, slightly shaking my head and saying in my Batman voice, "Yes?" I heard Slade's voice on the other end, saying, "You wanted that talk with Two-Face? You got it." "Where are we going to meet?" I asked. Slade gave me an address. "I'll be there soon," I said. Slade said, "It's not as if you have any other choice, but come alone. And don't try anything. I'll have my rifle on me and my cross-hairs on you." "Fine," I said, "I didn't want to fight, anyway." I heard Slade laugh on the other end. He hung up suddenly, and I rushed into the hotel, grabbing my suit and hopping out the window. I landed next to the Batmobile, throwing open the driver's side door and getting in. I gunned the engine, weaving in and out of several different streets and alleys. Eventually, I arrived outside the building Slade had told me about. I got out of the Batmobile, waiting. After a few minutes, I shouted, "WHERE ARE YOU, HARVEY?!" Two-Face stepped out from a dark alley. He laughed, saying, "Nice. You didn't go looking for me. You're willing to let me go. I could've just left you standing here, and you wouldn't have minded. So, there's a part of you who doesn't even want to talk, it just wants to let me be." I gulped nervously. I stayed silent.

Suddenly, Two-Face almost fell over, closing his right eye tightly for a few seconds. He caught himself, groaning. "That was good!" said White Knight loudly, "I need to take more naps...Batman?" "In the flesh," said Harvey. "Are we fighting?" asked White Knight, "'Cause if the answer's yes, we are terribly unprepared." "No, he wants to talk," said Harvey. White Knight stared at me for a few seconds, eventually observing, "For a guy who 'wants to talk', you're being quiet." I cleared my throat, saying, "I do want to talk, I just...need to think for a minute." "About what?" said White Knight, "This isn't some formal debate. There's no opening statement, you just START TALKING." I held up my hand, saying, "Wait!" "NO," said White Knight loudly, "Come on!" "FINE!" I shouted. I sighed, saying, "Look, I just want to level with you: I understand the things you've had to go through." "I could guess," said White Knight, "You go out as a bat to 'defend' Gotham, whatever that means. You wouldn't have that amount of dedication if you didn't lose something here." "It wasn't just 'something'," I said, "I lost my parents." White Knight cocked his head, saying, "You're hinting at something. What?" I nervously contracted and relaxed my fist. I slowly removed my mask. Harvey's eyes widened, and he said, "What? You're Bruce Wayne?" "Of course he is," interjected White Knight, "And of course he'd be comfortable letting us know. He doesn't run Wayne Enterprises, and it's not as if we're looking to ruin him." Harvey stared at me for a few seconds.

Eventually, he said, "That's not why I'm surprised. You're Bruce Wayne. Your parents were shot and it took them nearly twenty years to put their killer in jail. Why didn't you go the way I did?" I nodded, saying, "You're right, it's weird. Logically, I should have drowned in my own bitterness. I should have lashed out and started killing people. But I just started destroying myself, because I was the only one I sought to blame. I didn't protect my parents, and for that, I thought I should be punished. Well, not consciously, anyway." "But you were ten, just like me!" said Harvey, "It's not like you could have protected them anyway!" "That's the point, I was ten!" I said, "I realize I couldn't have saved them now, but back then? I couldn't see anything but blood on MY hands. It's the same with you. You recognize your past inability to save your sister. But when you were a kid, all that mattered to you was the feeling of betrayal that you fed on, that you felt came from the city itself! And you committed to fight against the city. You thought to let it die. What has that gotten you? Ask yourself!" "I know what it's gotten me!" said Two-Face, "But it's nothing compared to what it'll get me now! I can get the entire underground, maybe even the city!" "That's not the point!" I said, "If you keep on like this, you know exactly what's going to happen!" "You talk like you know too!" said Two-Face, "So enlighten me!" "It's already costed you your face," I said pleadingly, "It's cost you your public standing, your relationships, your sanity, and it's going to cost you your life! You know that! You just don't want to admit it." Two-Face glared at me, his eyes burning with thoughts.

"So what if it does?" he said, "It's better than this kind of life." "No, it's not!" I said, "There's still a chance that you can turn yourself around!" "How?" asked Two-Face skeptically. "I'm not totally sure," I said, "It might even involve jail. But I know it can happen." "Give it up!" said Two-Face, "It's not going to happen! I'm always going to stay this way!" "I can't give up!" I said, stepping forward a little. Suddenly, a small "zing" sound was heard at my feet, and a puff of dust rose into the air. I heard Deathstroke say from a megaphone, "Watch yourself! I'm a man of my word." I stepped back, and I said, "Look...I just don't understand. Why are you so driven about taking over the underground?" Two-Face said, "I want to have my power back. It was all I had. With Slade's help, I'm going to get it back. That's why." "And if you fail?" I said pointedly. "Then maybe it'll cost me my life after all," said Two-Face, "I can't lose anything else." "Well..." I said. I trailed off. Eventually, I finished, "Well...why do you need Barbara for that?" Two-Face's voice became harsher, and White Knight said, "It got the police out of the way, didn't it? That chick gave me leverage, and plenty of it." "But that's just it," I said, "The police are out of the way. And you still have Barbara. You still have her captive, but it's not going to get you anything else. Whatever you've done to her now...all it's going to amount to is a guilty conscience." White Knight's mouth twitched. "Stop that," he said. "No," I said. "Wasn't talking to you," said White Knight, irritated. I furrowed my brow.

Two-Face's head went to the side, as if he was dodging something. White Knight grimaced, saying, "For the last time, I only scared the girl! Shut up!" Two-Face groaned loudly, and Harvey Dent shouted, "I KNOW YOU'RE RIGHT! I CAN'T GET RID OF THE IMAGES IN MY HEAD! IT'S HELL!" The nightmare Harvey experienced was marauding his thoughts, the images of the bloody version of Barbara and the sound of her savage voice flooding him. Two-Face's insanity surged in that moment, dripping blood filling his mind's eye. He screamed like a starving animal, getting down on his knees and biting his tongue. Blood leaked from behind his teeth, dripping onto the pavement. Harvey shouted, "ENOUGH!" He slowly got up, saying, "I'll get you Barbara." "Where is she?" I asked frantically. "No," said Harvey, shaking his head, "I'll bring her to you. I'm not letting you find us. I'm still going to take over the underground." I sighed. I knew I had to stop him, but I was more concerned about Barbara. I needed to save her for Dick. "Fine," I said eventually, "Get her to me." "Don't follow me," said Two-Face, "If you try..." He trailed off, taking out his phone and calling Deathstroke. Deathstroke picked up, saying, "What?" Two-Face said, "I'm letting Batman have Barbara. I can't take it anymore." "What?!" said Deathstroke, "You can't..." Two-Face interrupted, "I HAVE to. Look, just...if Batman tries to follow me, you shoot him." "You're going to pick up Barbara?" asked Deathstroke, "You sure about that?" Two-Face paused, eventually said, "I'll be fine, and so will she." Two-Face hung up, simply walking away without another word.

Two-Face went to the apartment building they were in, opening the door to Barbara's room, where she was, yet again, sleeping. Two-Face clenched his jaw, trying not to wake up Barbara. He lightly picked her up, walking out and to the stolen car they used to get around. He carefully placed her in the front passenger seat, going around and getting in the driver's seat. When he started the car, the sound was loud enough to wake up Barbara. She looked over, seeing Two-Face and yelling in alarm. She fumbled with the car door handle, trying to open it and get out. Harvey quickly said, "Wait, wait! I'm taking you to Batman!" Barbara stopped going for the handle, staying quiet. Soon after, he arrived at the meeting place, getting out and getting Barbara out. He cut her hands and feet free, and Barbara ran over to me. She turned once she reached me, and I asked, "Are you okay?" Barbara didn't answer. Two-Face went back to the car, saying, "You can't convince me, Batman. This is all I'm giving you. Face it." He drove off. Suddenly, a megaphone landed with a crash next to me. I looked to my left, seeing Deathstroke on a roof. He stood, walking off. I turned to Barbara again, lightly grasping her shoulders and saying, "Are you okay? Tell me, come on." Barbara looked into my eyes for a few seconds. Eventually, her expression melted into tears, and she shook her head, saying, "No." She sobbed, covering her face. I hugged her, saying, "I'm here. Don't worry." We stood there for a few minutes, saying nothing but thinking about everything.

Meanwhile, Two-Face was on the phone with Deathstroke again. "We'll have to get a new car, you know," said Deathstroke, "And a new location. You didn't blindfold her, or anything!" "I didn't think of that, okay?!" said Two-Face angrily, "It's not like it'll take us a long time to move, anyway." "Fine," said Deathstroke, "But we can't afford anything like this again." "I understand," said Two-Face. "You'd better," said Deathstroke, hanging up. Two-Face drove as Deathstroke traversed the rooftops, and I comforted a newly broken Batgirl.


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER XVI

I led Barbara to the Batmobile slowly. I opened the passenger side front door for her. I went around, getting in the driver's seat. As Barbara closed her door, I looked at her, saying, "Uh...I don't have any blankets, or anything, for such a cold night...sorry about that." "It's fine," said Barbara, avoiding my gaze. I closed my door, saying, "You'll get a chance to speak to Dick at the hotel." Barbara nodded slowly as I started the car. Before I started driving, I said, "You know, he took a knife in the stomach for you. He's desperate to have you back. When you talk to him, open up. For his sake." I received no response from Barbara, and so I continued going back to the hotel. A few minutes later, Barbara suddenly started sobbing, shutting her eyes tightly and resting her head on my shoulder. Her breathing became erratic, and her tears rolled off her face onto my suit. I let her stay that way for the remainder of the drive. Once we reached the hotel, Barbara had quieted down, her eyes open wide and her breathing normal, but her head was still resting on my shoulder. She straightened, and I got out at the same time she did. "Is Dick here?" she asked. "No, we couldn't take care of his wounds here," I said, "He's at Wayne Manor. But I have my phone inside the hotel. You can call him with it." Barbara nodded, walking with me to the entrance.

When we reached the hotel room Dick, Alfred and I had been staying in, I grabbed my phone, handing it to Barbara. "I'm going out to change by the Batmobile," I said, "The home phone number for the manor is in the contacts. My password is one, four, nine, two." "Thank you," Barbara said quietly. I went out of the room, going to change. Barbara held the phone in her hands for a few seconds. She started sobbing again. Tears dripped onto the phone's screen. She took several deep breaths, trying to regain her composure. She unlocked the phone, going to the contacts. She found the contact labeled "Manor". She clicked on it, slowly putting the phone to her ear. Alfred picked up after a few seconds, saying, "Yes, Master Wayne?" Barbara said, "Alfred, can you get the phone to Dick?" Alfred was shocked, but he said, "Y-yes, Miss Gordon. Immediately. How are you?" "I'll be fine," said Barbara quickly. Alfred knew she was lying, but he also knew he couldn't convince her to say otherwise, so he simply said, "I'm...glad to hear that, Miss Gordon." Barbara heard knocking on Alfred's end, followed by loud groaning. Dick said groggily, "What is it, Alfred?" Alfred said, "Master Grayson...Barbara Gordon on the phone for you." Ten seconds later, Dick threw open his bedroom door, grabbing the phone and asking frantically, "Barbara? They let you go?" Alfred left Dick alone to speak with Barbara. "...Yes," said Barbara slowly. Dick sighed with relief.

"A-are you hurt?" asked Dick nervously. "My head's still sore," said Barbara, "But..." She suddenly remembered White Knight nearly tearing out her hair. She quickly pulled the phone away and covered her mouth, gasping and whimpering momentarily. She exhaled deeply, putting the phone back up to her ear and finishing, "Other than that...I'm fine." "Physically, maybe," said Dick, obviously worried, "But are you really okay, emotionally?" Barbara hesitated. Eventually, she said, "I-I...I'll be okay." She quickly hung up. Dick tried calling back. The phone rang in Barbara's hand. Her face scrunched up, and she began crying yet again. She opened up a drawer in one of the bedside tables, throwing the phone in. She shut the drawer. It didn't help muffle the noise of the phone. She wailed, covering her eyes and collapsing in the middle of the room's floor. On the other end, Dick heard a robotic voice telling him to leave a message, followed by a long beep. Dick lowered the phone from his ear, a dejected expression on his face. Dick walked over to Alfred, hanging his head. He asked quietly, "She isn't okay, is she?" Alfred shook his head, saying, "I'm afraid not, Master Grayson." Dick said, "Then why won't she tell me?" Alfred responded, "Perhaps she doesn't want you to worry." "But not telling me is making me worry!" said Dick, "I wish she'd just open up!" "You must give her time, Master Grayson," said Alfred solemnly, "She's been through a lot." "I know, Alfred," said Dick, walking back into his room with the phone, "I know." He sighed as he closed his bedroom door, staring at the phone, waiting, hoping for Barbara to call him back.

Barbara had stopped sobbing, but she was still lying on her back on the floor, tears tracking down her face. I walked in the room just a few seconds after she had thrown the phone into the drawer. I rushed over to her, saying, "What's wrong?" I eased her into a sitting position, facing me. She slowly said, "I couldn't...open up to Dick." "Why not?" I asked gently. "I don't know..." began Barbara. I interrupted, "If I'd understand?" She slowly nodded. "Oh, I understand," I said, "You're talking to a guy who saw his parents get shot. You're talking to a guy who nearly killed himself using drugs. I understand how it feels to think you can't open up. The question is, why are you so afraid?" "It's just..." Barbara paused. Eventually, she continued, "It's just...what if I'd be a burden to him, now? I can't stop thinking about the things that happened. Everything feels...different. What if he rejects me for that?" "Hey," I said, "Dick is a great guy. He'd never reject you because something terrible happened to you. He absolutely loves you." I took one of her hands in both of mine, asking, "Do you want to see him? I can call Slade, tell him that I'm having your dad come and pick you up. You could go home, and see Dick in person." Barbara shook her head. I nodded, saying, "You still need time to work all this out in your head, right?" She nodded again. "I told you I understand," I said, "...All right, you can stay here. But don't go anywhere else." "What if they try to take me again?" asked Barbara nervously. "They won't," I answered, shaking my head, "Harvey is too guilty and Slade doesn't think it's worth his time now." Barbara nodded, seeming more confident.

"Wait a minute," I said, "They haven't lifted their restriction on police presence here. But they don't have you. What's stopping us from bringing the police back here?" Suddenly, a sniper bullet went straight through the window and into one of the beds. Barbara shrieked in alarm, and I jumped backwards. "What the...?" I said. I looked out the window. There was a sniper rifle perched on the edge of a nearby roof. But there was no Deathstroke. "It must have been fired via remote control," I said, "But how did they...?" My eyes widened, and I searched around the room for a few minutes. Eventually, I found a small electronic device on the wall. "They bugged some of the hotel rooms when they came to take you," I said, "There's probably more, and what with Slade being the professional he is, I'm not sure I'd be able to find them." I dropped the bug, stamping on it. I continued, "But at least this one will be out of the way. They're probably monitoring us through the rifle. That had to be a warning shot. If I try to call the police back in, it won't end well." I sighed, turning to Barbara and finishing, "You should get some rest." She got up into one of the beds, dropping off to sleep. I looked around the room for my phone, eventually finding it in the drawer Barbara threw it in. I called the manor. Alfred picked up, saying, "Yes? Is that you, Miss Gordon?" "No, Alfred," I said, "She's asleep." Alfred said, "Master Wayne! It's good to hear from you!" "Not in this kind of situation," I said sadly, "Barbara hung up suddenly on Dick, right?" Alfred slowly said, "Yes, Master Wayne. She seemed quite distressed." "She is," I said. I looked over at her, sighing heavily.

I continued talking to Alfred, saying, "She's afraid that Dick will reject her now." "Hm," said Alfred, "What a terrible notion." "Yeah, I don't think it'll be easy for her to shake," I said, "You know, I'm really starting to think she shouldn't be Batgirl." "Something like this will prepare her for what she'll see as Batgirl, if anything, Master Wayne," said Alfred emphatically, "Remember that both you and Master Grayson have been through abhorrent things. If Miss Gordon decides to go forward as Batgirl, I advise you to allow her." I responded, "All the same, if she does decide to go forward, I'm going to personally pay for some kind of therapy. She needs it, I know it." Alfred said, "Perhaps I should tell Master Grayson?" "No," I said quickly, "Not happening. I want them to talk in person. I want them to resolve it between themselves." Alfred sighed and said, "All right, Master Wayne." I said, "I'd better head down to the police truck. Have a good night, Alfred." "And you as well, Master Wayne," said Alfred. Alfred hung up, and I turned to Barbara. I walked over to her, lightly shaking her shoulder. "Hey," I said. She stirred, turning to me. "Yes?" she asked sleepily. She yawned. I said, "I'm going down to the police truck. It's the only line of communication I have with Slade and Two-Face. You stay here and get more rest." She quickly sat up, beginning, "But what if...?" I interrupted, "I told you, you're safe here. And besides, I have these." I held up a pair of walkie-talkies. I handed one to her. "These are top of the line," I said, "As long as you have yours, I'll be able to reach you." She nodded. Before I left, she grabbed my arm, saying, "Are you sure Dick loves me?" I nodded, smiling. "How much?" she asked. I laughed lightly, saying, "You really think I can tell you that?" She let go of my arm, saying, "You're right." I kissed her on the forehead, saying, "Good night." "Good night," she said quietly as I walked out of the room.

Meanwhile, a severely ticked off Slade Wilson was cursing profusely at Two-Face in the apartment building, saying, "You *&amp;$%ing idiot! You let the little #$%&amp; go and then you let Batman &amp;% # off without a problem! And you didn't even blindfold her! Now, you think I can move all that bloody government-issue &amp;%$# quickly?!" "That's not what matters!" said Two-Face, "As long as you have a way to contact your employer, you don't need all that stuff, do you?" Slade calmed down slightly, saying, "No, not entirely. I'd need the food they gave me, but I don't need their bloody cameras or anything. They've probably got someone watching me anyway." Two-Face said, "Then leave all the stuff you don't need behind and we can move easily. In a place like this, it won't be hard to find a building just as abandoned as this one." "Let's not do abandoned," said Slade, "If people are there, there's more available hostages." Two-Face agreed with the logic, but not necessarily the principle. He had no desire to be mocked by Slade, however, and so he simply nodded his assent. "All right then, it's decided," said Slade, "We move into a motel, or something." That's exactly what they did. They grabbed what they needed and nothing more, quickly moving to a motel, where the proprietor was probably too wasted to notice how strangely their bags clunked.

They went up to their room, quickly unpacking their things. Slade set up his laptop, and Two-Face took the liberty of using Slade's clothes in place of the dirty white tuxedo he'd been wearing for the past few days. The lower hanging collar of the shirt he'd chosen revealed more scars going down his neck. He sighed and grimaced. Slade interrupted his thoughts, saying, "Well, this'll do, I suppose." "It'll have to," said Two-Face, "We can't let Batman find us." Slade nodded. Suddenly, Slade got a text from Ms. Waller. He looked at it. It read, "TIME IS RUNNING OUT, MR. WILSON".


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER XVII

The next morning, I went up to the hotel room to make sure Barbara was all right. I opened the door, seeing her wrapped up in the sheets, her limbs spread all over the bed. I went up to her, whispering, "Hey." Barbara stirred a little, turning to me and saying with a yawn, "Yes, Da…" She stopped after she realized it was me. She gulped, saying, "Bruce?" I nodded, saying, "Yeah. How'd you sleep last night?" "I slept okay," said Barbara, "It was a little scary being alone, but you know. I got over it." "Obviously not," I said, "You thought I was your dad. For a second, at least." Barbara began stuttering, trying to form the words to tell me that she wasn't about to call me Dad. I lightly placed my hand on her shoulder, saying, "Don't try. I'm not going to fall for it." Barbara looked me in the eyes. "I guess it makes sense, though," I said, "You're not too far off from a daughter to me." Barbara began to tear up, throwing herself forward and hugging me. She choked up, saying through sorrowful gasps, "I just want…things to be…normal a-again…b-but I know they…won't b-be." I held her tight, saying, "I know. But this is going to have to be normal for you now. It's been my normal for twenty years. It's just starting to be Dick's normal. We can help you." Barbara cried on my shoulder. For a few minutes, I just let her stay there. Eventually, she separated from me, saying, "I have to let Andy know I'm alive. He'll have heard about what happened." I nodded, saying, "Of course. I'll get you to him." A minute later, we were inside the Batmobile, on our way to Andy's house.

When we got there, I let Barbara get out to knock on Andy's door. She looked back at me nervously. I nodded reassuringly. She knocked slowly. A few seconds later, Adriana and Brittany opened the door for her. At first, the both of them smiled widely, but then they took a close look at Barbara. Barbara tried to fake a smile, asking, "What's wrong?" Adriana said, "We were going to ask if you could play with us, but…you look like Daddy after Mommy died." Barbara's fake smile disappeared in an instant as Brittany turned and said, "Daddy! Aunt Barbara's here!" Andy rushed towards the front door, immediately hugging Barbara. He separated from her, asking frantically, "Are you hurt?" "Not badly," said Barbara softly. Andy looked over her shoulder, seeing the Batmobile. "One second," he said, walking towards the Batmobile. I was still in the driver's seat. He went over to that side, his arms crossed. I got out, standing straight up. Andy said, "Thank you." I was surprised. I asked, "Shouldn't you be mad at me? I wasn't there to stop her from being kidnapped." Andy said solemnly, "I know more than most that there are things you just can't stop. Quit acting like you think it was your fault, because it wasn't." "I should let her stay with you," I proposed, "I can't keep an eye on her all day." "I'll see what I can do," said Andy, nodding. He walked off, saying joyfully, "Adriana! Brittany! Aunt Barbara will be staying with us for a while!" "Really?" asked Adriana, "Yay!" She looked excitedly towards Barbara, who smiled and looked back at me.

I nodded slowly, getting back into the Batmobile. I drove off. Barbara looked back towards Andy, who led her inside. He sighed, saying, "So, we don't have a lot of space, but I can give up my bed." "No, no, it's fine," said Barbara quickly, "I'll just sleep on the couch." "Are you sure?" asked Andy, raising his eyebrows. Barbara responded, "Yes, I am. You don't have to give up your bed for me." Andy said, "Well, I know I can't convince you otherwise, so I guess it's yours." Barbara suddenly asked, "Do the girls know what happened?" "Other than Aunt Barbara couldn't see them for a couple days, no," answered Andy, "But they're smart. I think they'll end up figuring it out." "It's better that way," sighed Barbara. Andy started walking to another part of the house, saying, "I'll grab you some blankets and a pillow." "Thanks," said Barbara. A minute later, Andy returned with an armful of bed furnishings. He laid them out on the couch, saying, "There you go." Barbara said, "Thank you, Andy." "Don't mention it," responded Andy. Barbara laid down on the couch, looking up to the ceiling and kicking her shoes off. Andy went into the kitchen, quickly returning with a glass of water. He handed it to her, saying, "Here. I'll bet you need it." Barbara took it, responding, "I do. I really appreciate it." "Well, I'm happy to help," said Andy, "You're a part of this family, after all you've done for the girls." He slightly ruffled her hair, walking to a nearby chair and beginning to read.

Meanwhile, I called the manor to check up on Dick and tell them what happened. I started out by simply asking Alfred, "Hey, how's Dick?" Alfred answered, "Hello, Master Wayne. He's doing considerably better. He hasn't broken his stitches, and the wound hasn't been seeping as much ever since Miss Gordon was released. But speaking of Miss Gordon, Master Grayson is still very worried about her." "Well, I'm still going to have them talk about it face-to-face," I said adamantly, "They need to cut through all this clamming up and talk to each other, for real." Alfred said, "Yes, of course. How is Miss Gordon, by the way?" "I think she's doing better," I answered, "She's staying at Andy's for now. She'll be fine there." "That's very good," said Alfred, "What are you going to do now, Master Wayne?" "It's hard to say," I answered, "I can't be sure where Two-Face and Deathstroke moved, other than they wouldn't stay in the previous area. There's literally hundreds of abandoned buildings in the underground, and they could be in any one of them. Or, even worse, they could be in any of the, again, hundreds of lower-class hotels. It's easier here than in the main city to get into one." "And so…?" Alfred inquired. I sighed, answering, "I guess I'd better start searching." I hung up as I pulled up to the hotel I was staying in. I got out of the Batmobile, changing into plain clothes. Just before I was about to enter the hotel, I heard a female voice shout, "HEY! WAIT, HEY! BATMAN!" I turned, my brow furrowed. I saw Hannah standing by her parked car. She'd followed me.

I quickly turned back around to conceal my face. "I won't tell," said Hannah, "It's not like I want you to stop doing what you're doing." I slowly turned. Hannah grinned widely, putting one of her fists on her right hip. She said loudly, "Well, isn't that a kick in the head! Batman's really…!" I quickly said, "SHH!" Hannah stopped, her mouth hanging open. A second later, she said, "Oh. Right." "You and Barbara both aren't too good at keeping quiet about things like this," I observed. "Yeah, I've always been…" began Hannah. She suddenly stopped herself. She widened her eyes, walking towards me and finishing, "Is Barbara okay?" I answered, "Mostly. She'll need some kind of therapy, but other than that, she'll make it fine." "Therapy and the occasional visit to Loser's," said Hannah. "Of course," I said, smirking, "I'll probably be coming back a lot too." "That's always good," said Hannah. "But anyway," I said, "why are you here?" "Well, I know I shouldn't have followed you," answered Hannah, "But I…wait, how didn't you notice me?" "A lot of things were on my mind," I said quickly, "You were saying?" Hannah stared at me for a second, probably trying to figure out what "a lot of things" were. Eventually, she snapped out of it, saying, "Well, I wanted to help you. I know the underground better than a lot of people, if I do say so myself." "It'll be dangerous," I said. Hannah raised her eyebrows, asking, "You DID see those bullet holes in the bar, right? I know dangerous well enough." I looked at her. Her expression was serious. I sighed, looking at the ground.

I gestured with my head, saying, "Come on." Hannah grinned, walking behind me towards the police truck. She asked, "So, what are you trying to do?" I answered, "I'm going to try and find out where Two-Face and Deathstroke are staying. I have the equipment, but I haven't been in the underground long enough to find them easily." "Do you have a general kind of place they might be staying at?" asked Hannah. "I want to check hotels in the area," I said, "There's more of them than there are of abandoned spots. I figure I should get the majority of the work out of the way." "I can definitely help you with that," said Hannah confidently. She walked past me, getting into the police truck and sitting at one of the computers. "Do you have a map of the underground?" she asked seriously. I walked up to her, leaning over and using the mouse to get to the map. "There," I said, "Will that work?" "Yeah, as long as there's a way to blot out any unlikely spots," answered Hannah. "There is," I said, showing her how to operate it. "All right," I said, "You all good to go?" "Yes," answered Hannah. She looked the map up and down, pursing her lips. Eventually, she circled a large part of the map with the mouse cursor, marking the whole area red. "Nowhere here," she said, shaking her head, "This is basically the highest-class area of the underground. They wouldn't want to get stuck there. I doubt they'd be able to get past a hotel front desk there, anyway." She continued her search, narrowing it down.

There were several false alarms, but Hannah kept working. Eventually, she asked, "Could I get some water?" "Yeah," I answered, "There's a mini-fridge in here somewhere." I looked for it, eventually finding a water bottle for her. I handed it to her, and she sighed, saying, "This is harder than I thought it would be." "It always is," I said. About an hour later, Hannah finally said, "All right, I've narrowed it down to twelve hotels. Some of them are kind of far, but not too much." "All right," I said, "Good work, Hannah. Thank you." "Glad to help," she said, smiling. She got up, yawning, "I'd better head home. I need to get some sleep." "You've earned it," I said. She nodded, walking off. Before she got in her car, I shouted after her, "Hey! I'll be seeing you with Barbara in a little while!" She nodded again, getting in her car and driving off. I got back in the truck, looking at the map. I cracked my neck and sighed, "Okay. Time to get the physical stuff out of the way." I put on the Batman suit, hopping in the Batmobile and driving towards the first of the twelve hotels. I walked right in, seeing a fairly alert person at the front desk. They stared at me. I said, "Not here, then." I walked out, getting back into the Batmobile. "Brilliant," I said to myself. I drove towards the next spot.

After a couple hours of driving around and finding the different hotels, I'd only gotten around to thoroughly picking through six of them. Fortunately, it meant I was halfway through. That gave me little comfort, however. I sighed as I looked on at the seventh location, hoping beyond hope that it was the right place. Meanwhile, Dick Grayson sat in the living room of Wayne Manor, watching the news on TV, hoping to find out anything about what was happening in the underground. He watched intently, leaning back in the couch, ready to spring forward the second the underground was mentioned. Eventually, his wishes were granted, as the anchor said, "And breaking tonight, Gotham's underground has been experiencing increased crime rates, police say." Dick scoffed. The anchor continued, "There have been talks of a near-citywide gang forming beneath the leadership of two unknown criminals." Dick leaned forward, gulping. "Dent," he said slowly. He didn't pay attention to the anchor after that.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I JUST WENT ON A GRUELING HIKING TRIP UP TO PIKES PEAK, AND I'M SIMPLY TOO TIRED TO WRITE ANYTHING. THE NEXT CHAPTER OF MOT WILL BE UP NEXT WEEK.


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER XVIII

Two-Face was repeatedly flipping his coin. "Haven't done this in a while, have we?" asked White Knight eventually. Two-Face stopped. He slowly turned the coin over. With no reply, White Knight decided to go on, "You know, it was an interesting stroke of fate. One pristine, untouched, shiny side. One marred, unrecognizable, dull side. Just like us." "I don't want to reminisce," said Harvey quietly. "Good," said Slade, suddenly standing at the door, "We've got work to do." Slade tossed Two-Face his revolver, putting on his mask and walking off. He raised his open-channel walkie-talkie to his mouth, saying, "Cell A, report." "All ready," replied the cell's leader, "No sightings." "All right, keep a lookout," said Deathstroke, "Cell B, report." The leader reported no sightings, Deathstroke reminded them to keep watching, and this process repeated until Deathstroke reached cell I. The leader for that cell said, "We saw him, sir. We followed your orders and didn't engage." Deathstroke took out his phone, looking at his map, muttering, "Cell I, that's…" He nodded, saying, "He's getting closer." He put away his phone, returning to the walkie-talkie and saying, "All cells, listen up. Batman is approaching me and Two-Face. He'll be here in an hour at most. Once he reaches us, we'll send out a signal. Remember: when you get that signal, all of you call 911. It'll be too big for the police to ignore. Let's give the people of Gotham something to think about." He stopped talking, walking to a window that looked out over most of the underground. He aimed out of it, waiting for me.

Meanwhile, Barbara was still awake, despite it getting late. Andy was reading yet again, having put his girls to bed. Barbara had her blankets up to her chin. She quietly asked, "Andy?" "Yes?" said Andy. "Can I ask you something?" Barbara said tentatively. "Well, of course," said Andy, putting the book aside. Barbara said, "There's this guy…" Andy cracked a smile. Barbara continued, "Um…he's really nice, and…kind of cute, but…I don't know if he'd like me as I am now. People keep telling me that he loves me, but I have a hard time believing it. Do you think I should?" Andy chuckled slightly. He looked at the two rings on his finger, answering, "Have I ever told you how I met Sharon?" "You're going to tell me, aren't you?" said Barbara, smirking. "Uh-huh," said Andy, "I remember it so vividly. There I was, back home from my last tour. I was ready to take on the world. I was excited. Really excited. I knew there plenty of fish in the sea. That was the best part. I wanted to get married. I just needed to find the right girl. And then, suddenly, she was there. Sharon. Most beautiful girl I ever saw. Funnily enough, we met when we were both working at the same office. We were in some pretty low positions, so we saw each other a lot. Soon enough, I mustered up the courage to ask her out. Fortunately for me, she liked me too, so she said yes." "That sounds great," said Barbara, smiling widely. "It was," said Andy wistfully, "It sure was." He paused for a second.

He continued, "I managed to meet her parents. I took her to the best restaurants in town. Then there came a time where she had…doubts. She was unsure if she wanted to keep going, unsure that it was worth it. I told her I wanted to keep going. I told her that's all that should matter to her. But she backed off anyway. I didn't see her for a few days, but her parents phoned me frequently, telling me what was happening. They kept telling her that I would never give up on it, that it was worth it. But she was still unsure. So, every day, I bought flowers and put them on her doorstep. Every day, without fail, they were taken inside. Then one day, I was putting them on her doorstep, and the door opened. She was standing there, with tears in her eyes. I said hi, and she said hi, too. She started to apologize, and I just kissed her. I told her everything would be fine. I told her I'd never let her go. I never did till I had to…" He stopped, and Barbara looked over at him. He was slowly turning the rings on his finger, tears welling in his eyes. He sighed heavily, looking up at Barbara and finishing, "Anyway, the point is…you should believe it. I don't think you want to miss out on something special like this. And since he's obviously not here, he's out of action. That means he's devoted. He'll take care of you." "…Thanks, Andy," said Barbara quietly. "No problem," said Andy, "Well…I think I'll head off to bed. I'll see you in the morning." "Wake me up before the girls, please," said Barbara. Andy nodded, walking into his bedroom. Barbara shut her eyes, drifting off into sleep.

I was getting near the hotel where Two-Face and Deathstroke resided, but there was still one hotels between me and that particular hotel. I had to check them out. I parked in front of the first one. I got out, seeing something suspicious out of the corner of my eye. There were three men huddled around a trashcan fire, and another two huddled up against a brick wall across the street. Neither of these are rare occurrences in the underground, but the men participating in them were most certainly not homeless. All of them wore at least one relatively expensive item of clothing. Now, these could have been things they just saved up for, but I didn't want to dismiss anything. I quickly averted my eyes from them, calling Jim Gordon on my phone when I stepped inside the hotel. He answered, "Yes?" "Jim," I said quietly, scanning the room, "Something's off. I think Deathstroke and Two-Face spread out their henchmen across the city to look for me, just like Bane did. But they haven't attacked me yet. Have your men ready. Something's going down." "Batman, I don't know if I have the manpower…" Jim began. "Well, get the manpower, then!" I said urgently, "I don't know if you've noticed, but if anything happens here, there WILL be innocent people in the crossfire. It's time the police pay attention to the people of the underground." I hung up without hearing Jim's response. I searched around the hotel, assuming an offensive position the whole time. After coming up empty, I exited.

Back at the GPD's headquarters, Jim was sitting at his desk, thinking. It had been a few minutes after our phone conversation, and he was deeply troubled. He eventually clicked his intercom, saying over the PA system, "Bullock! Get in here." Detective Harvey Bullock soon stepped into the office. His tall, trunk-like build nearly blocked the doorway. He looked towards Jim, saying, "Yeah, Commissioner?" Jim asked, "What do the crime files on the underground look like, Bullock?" Harvey shrugged, saying, "Um…I'm not really sure. We don't get a lot of crime reports from there." "And why is that, Bullock?" asked Jim solemnly. Harvey shrugged again, saying, "I, uh…well, I guess…no one cares enough about it." Jim sighed, eventually saying, "Bullock, I want you to get as many men as possible on the border of the underground." Harvey said, "But, sir, we don't have the…" Jim immediately thought of what I said earlier and ordered loudly, "Then get it!" Harvey began trying to protest, stuttering terribly. Jim stood, looking Harvey dead in the eye and saying, "Get it, Bullock. That'll be all." Harvey sighed, saying, "Yes, sir." He walked out, closing the door behind him. Jim suddenly remembered Barbara, and scolded himself for not remembering earlier. He mumbled to himself, "Maybe if Batman hadn't been beating me over the head…" He took out his phone, calling me again. I picked up, saying, "Yes, Jim?" Jim hesitated, not sure if he could take the answer.

Reluctantly, he asked, "Batman, where's my daughter?" I realized I hadn't told him. I answered, "She's safe, at Andy's place. I don't think Deathstroke and Two-Face will go after her. I'll get her home once this is all over." Jim was relieved, saying, "I'll be glad. I got those men. They'll be outside the underground any minute." "Thanks, Jim," I said, hanging up. I stood in front the hotel where, unbeknownst to me, Deathstroke was pointing his gun at me. He chuckled, saying, "Perfect." He walked to Two-Face, saying, "He's here. It's finally time." "I've been waiting long enough, I guess," said Two-Face. "You sure have," said Deathstroke. He raised his walkie-talkie, saying, "All cells, make your calls. He's here." All cells replied affirmatively, and Deathstroke took up his sniper rifle, checking the chamber. There was a single bullet inside. Two-Face was staring at his revolver. Deathstroke walked out of the room, going out one of the back windows. He dropped to the ground, taking out his phone and calling Ms. Waller. She answered, "Mr. Wilson, you've created quite the situation." "It'll work, won't it?" said Deathstroke, irritated. "Maybe, but it's risky," said Ms. Waller. "Isn't everything," grumbled Deathstroke, "I'll update you soon." He hung up, going to a nearby building.

Meanwhile, I walked through the entrance of the hotel. The inebriated owner was passed out in his chair behind the front desk. I kicked his chair out from under him, waking him up effectively. I said, "Get off your butt and get everyone out. Now!" The owner nodded shakily, getting up and running all over the place, shouting for everyone to get out. Several people rushed past me frantically, including the owner. He ran upstairs, finding everyone else. In his room, Two-Face heard the clamor, getting up and pulling back his revolver's hammer. He deduced it was me and said through gritted teeth, "Son of a…" He stormed out of his room, his revolver in front of him. There were several panicked people running around the hall. Two-Face pointed his gun directly upwards, firing and getting their attention. They all turned in horror towards him. Two-Face shouted, "CALM DOWN AND GET OUT OF HERE!" They all shuffled out as quickly as possible. Two-Face growled, and Harvey said, "I don't want to have to deal with this." Not wanting to deal with White Knight's inevitable protests either, Harvey put his gun's barrel to his chin and flipped his coin. It landed on the unscarred side. "Apparently, the easy way out is hard to get to," said White Knight. Harvey sighed and put his coin away, raising his revolver again and walking towards the stairwell.

I was standing on the first floor. I'd heard the gunshot, and then saw the people rushing out. I heard the short conversation between White Knight and Harvey. I looked at the stairwell, eventually hearing his feet clunk on the stairs. In only a few moments, I saw him come down, his gun aimed directly at my face. "Hi, Bruce," said White Knight, "How're the kids?" "One's recovering from Deathstroke's blade," I said, "And the other's safe with a friend. With any luck, the next time they'll see you is on the nightly news, in prison." "Nah," said White Knight, "I don't see that happening. I got it made. Even you can't stop me." "I've gone up against bigger guys than you," I said. "I already know that," said Two-Face. "Where's Deathstroke?" I asked. "Probably gone off to ice some of the incoming police officers," said White Knight, "He took the big gun with him." "Okay, then," I said, assuming an offensive stance. Two-Face threw his gun to the side, raising his fists. "Are you really ready for this?" asked Harvey. I simply nodded. White Knight smirked, charging at me with a fist in the air and a maniacal grin on his face.


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER XIX

White Knight was faster than I had thought, slamming into my midsection and sending the both of us out the window. The police had already begun to move in, and violence had already commenced. We landed hard onto the stone street, grunting with effort. White Knight straddled my chest, raising his fist to punch my face. He struck downwards, and I caught his fist, twisting it the wrong way. White Knight groaned, and I managed to punch his face, getting him off of me. I quickly stood, waiting for White Knight to get back up. "Come on," I said, "I'm not going to hit you while you're down." "Not one for opportunities, then," said White Knight, standing. He ran at me again, throwing a wild punch which I easily dodged while punching him in the chest. "Give it up, Harvey," I said, "You're not going to win." Harvey shook his head, saying, "Too late for that. It's all going down. I can't give up." I sighed, saying, "I've always wanted to save you, Harvey." "Too late for that, too, Batman," said White Knight, "There's no saving to be done." He grabbed a nearby, empty glass bottle, smashing it into my face. I felt the glass shatter and cut the side of my face, and I was knocked sideways. I groaned, and I turned towards White Knight just in time to dodge his attempt at stabbing my face with the remains of the bottle. I punched his jaw, knocking to the ground again. He wiped the blood from his mouth, spitting and growling, "I think you'll find that I can take more damage than you thought." I said, "Maybe. But I'm a perseverant guy." I waited for him to get up before we continued.

Meanwhile, Barbara was sleeping soundly on Andy's couch until she felt someone shaking her awake. She asked groggily, "Andy? What is it?" "Daddy's getting ready to leave," said Adriana, "He told me to wake you up." Barbara quickly sat up, saying, "Leaving? For where?" She looked around, eventually seeing Andy putting on a leather jacket and extracting a handgun from a shelf in a closet. Barbara was immediately worried, saying, "I didn't even know you owned that. Where are you going?" Andy sighed, saying, "Outside. There's a lot of police, and a lot of fighting as a consequence. There are going to be people who'll need help." "That doesn't mean you should be the one to help them!" said Barbara desperately. Andy turned to her, holstering the gun and lightly grasping her shoulders. He said, "Look, Barbara. I know you're worried about me. You have every reason to be. But I just can't sit by while people are in danger. I couldn't back when I was in the war, either." "Well, what about us?" asked Barbara nervously, "You can't just leave us without any kind of defense!" Andy said, "People know not to mess with the people in this home. Just grab the baseball bat underneath my bed, and hide in the bathroom. You'll be fine, I'm sure of it." Barbara sighed, saying, "Okay." She led Adriana and Brittany to the bathroom. She grabbed the baseball bat, joining them. She said, "Lay down in the bathtub. Stay out of sight as much as possible." Adriana asked, "Are we really going to be okay, Aunt Barbara?" "If your dad says so, yes," said Barbara. The girls laid down in the bathtub, reassured by Barbara's words. Barbara sighed, gripping the bat tightly.

Meanwhile, my fight with Two-Face had led to us being caught in the major fight between the criminals of the underground and the police. I had to deflect several fists from incoming criminals while paying attention to Two-Face simultaneously. As a result, some of them got the chance to put few jabs into my side, and Two-Face got the same opportunities. I growled, striking harder in an effort to stave the other attackers off. It didn't have much effect, however. I was punched and kicked constantly, and I knew I had to get out of the way. I quickly ducked out of the situation, with Two-Face right behind me. "Can't handle a little action, huh?" asked Two-Face. I shook it off, sending a punch into Two-Face's nose. He staggered backwards. I went in for another punch, which he sidestepped just in time to grab my arm and wrestle me to the ground. I fell on my back. White Knight growled, kicking me in the head. With my mask on, it didn't hurt as much, but only by a little bit. I rolled away, standing and running back towards Two-Face. Meanwhile, on a nearby rooftop, Deathstroke watched as Two-Face stood still, waiting for me. "Time to get this over with," he said quietly. He fired.

As I was about to strike Two-Face, I heard a gunshot, and a second later, blood spurted out of both sides of Two-Face's neck. I was shocked, lowering my fist slowly. The fight beside us hadn't slowed, but the sounds didn't register. All I was focused on was Harvey's right eye widening as he fell to the side. "Harvey!" I said, panicked. I went to his side, kneeling and cradling his head. Harvey slowly said, "There's…one last thing. Batman…my coin…it's still in my pocket." I fished it out as quickly as possible, handing it to him. He flipped it, not even trying to catch it. The fight beside us still continued, nobody even caring about Harvey. The coin landed on the street, bouncing a couple times. Harvey asked, "What side did it land on?" "H-heads," I said, choking up. Harvey laughed lightly, smiling. "That's good," he said. "What were you deciding?" I asked sadly. "Whether I should let go," said Harvey, "I guess I'll have to, now." He coughed up blood. Suddenly, he said, "Hi, Cindy. It's been a while, sis. You're looking good…" I heard the last breath of thirty years as Harvey Dent died with a smile on his face. I gently laid his head on the ground, standing back up and looking in the direction the shot had come from. Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one who noticed.

Deathstroke put away his rifle, saying, "That's another day of earning a living. I kind of liked him. Ah, well." He got a call. He picked up, saying, "Hello, Miss. Is my money ready?" "Indeed it is," said Ms. Waller. "Now, I do have a question," said Deathstroke, "What was with all the 'probable cause' stuff you talked about?" Ms. Waller replied, "Even with my rank, I have people I need to report to. If someone finds out that Harvey Dent was killed by a sniper, they'll just assume it was a police officer, what with his involvement in all this. My bosses will be pleased with that." Deathstroke nodded, saying, "Oh, and by the way…" He turned and fired two shots with his handgun, killing the sniper on a nearby rooftop. "Try harder when it's me you're trying to kill," finished Deathstroke, dropping the phone and crushing it. "Time to move along, I suppose," said Deathstroke. "Not so fast," he heard behind him. He turned. Andy stood there, with a stone cold expression and his pistol aimed directly at Deathstroke's face. "This trying hard enough?" asked Andy seriously. "I'm afraid not," answered Deathstroke. He lunged towards Andy, driving one of his wrist-blades into his chest. Andy groaned, his eyes widening. He groaned, "I'm sorry, girls." He drove the handle of his gun onto Deathstroke's wrist-blade.

The blade broke, and Deathstroke said, "No way!" "Obviously you've never met a marine," said Andy, groaning and ripping the blade out. He attempted to shoot Deathstroke, but he smacked the pistol out of his hand. With no other option, while Deathstroke took out his pistol again, Andy ran forward, aiming for Deathstroke's head with the blade. Deathstroke fired off three shots, but Andy finished his charge, driving the blade into Deathstroke's right eye. Deathstroke screamed in pain, running off. "Now it really IS time to leave," he said, growling. Andy stumbled backwards, trying to keep his blood from escaping the wounds as best he could. It was to no avail. And so, he did the only thing left that he could do. He slowly stumbled towards his handgun, weakly picking it up and firing into the air. I heard the shot, immediately running towards the building. I activated my grappling hook, getting myself onto the roof. My eyes widened as I saw Andy, laying on the stone roof and bleeding out. His ragged breaths were punctuated by soft sobs and violent coughs. I walked over to him, saying, "A-Andy?" "Hi," he said weakly. "No, no, NO!" I said, crying, "I can't lose someone else today!" "Yes, you can," said Andy, "You'll have to." "Come on, there has to be something I can do…" I said sadly. Andy said, "Yes. A proper funeral is all I ask." "But what about your girls?" I asked frantically. Andy smiled, looking up into the sky while struggling for the next breath.

Andy slowly answered, "I can't ask that." "No," I said, "I'll take care of them. I promise." Andy said, "Fine...that's good." Andy stopped moving. I closed his eyes, turning. I knew what needed to happen. I ran off the roof, hopping onto the next. I ran across the rooftops, running towards Andy's apartment. Once I reached it, I went through the door, shouting, "Barbara! It's me!" In the bathroom, Barbara sighed with relief and said, "Girls…it's okay. He's a friend of Aunt Barbara's." The girls reluctantly got out of the bathtub, and Barbara opened the door, walking into the apartment's living room. She asked, "Is Andy with you?" I stood there, with my head hanging and my arms limp by my sides. I clenched my jaw as a single tear dropped to the floor. Barbara began shaking her head. "No, no…" she began. She screamed, "NO!" She broke down into tears, collapsing against a chair and sinking to the floor. Adriana and Brittany ran to hug Barbara. I let Barbara cry, and eventually, she said, "I know you couldn't save him. But what happens now?" "We take care of Adriana and Brittany, somehow," I said sadly. Barbara nodded, saying, "I'll take them in. They'll find a good home with my family." "We're coming to live with you, Aunt Barbara?" asked Brittany. "Yes," said Barbara, "I'll be your sister now." Brittany and Adriana simply hugged her tighter. This was a time of happiness and tears, and so, they simply stayed quiet. The fight in the distance was put in the back of our minds.

Eventually, I said quietly, "I'm going to take you all away from here now. Is that okay?" All three girls nodded, and Barbara stood, taking Adriana and Brittany by the hand and leading them towards me. Barbara looked up at me. I said, "Whatever support you need…you know where to find me." Barbara said, "Thank you." I led them all outside, calling the Batmobile to me. "Are you taking us personally?" asked Barbara. "Yes," I said, "I got you into this. I'm taking you out of it." When the Batmobile pulled up, I led them to it, with all three of them getting in. I got into the front seat, saying, "I'm going to wait until your dad gets home from this to take you home. So I'm going to take you to my place until that happens." Adriana said, "Does that mean…?" "Yes," I said, "I'm going to let you know who I am." "We won't tell anyone, promise," said Brittany. I smiled, saying, "Thank you, Brittany." I drove all the way back to Wayne Manor, pulling into the Batcave. I got out. "You should get to the manor," I said to the girls, "I need to change." Barbara nodded, leading the girls to the manor. I changed, joining them. Alfred had already gotten them all water. I walked in, and the girls all stared at me. I said, "You have to understand everything's different now. Everything." Barbara nodded. Suddenly, the creak of a door was heard from the direction of Dick's room.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I WON'T BE UPDATING MOT THIS WEEK, AS I'LL BE VISTING FAMILY FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS.


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER XX

Dick walked out into the hall. He looked towards Barbara, saying, "Barbara?" Barbara simply looked at him. He walked towards her. He looked at me, saying, "Um…is there some place Barbara and I can talk?" "Of course," I said, "We'll leave you alone." Alfred and I gently led Adriana and Brittany out of the kitchen as Dick and Barbara sat down to talk. We walked into a parlor that was barely used, but still contained a large bookshelf with numerous books. Alfred asked, "Would you girls like to be read a story?" Adriana and Brittany nodded, and Alfred carefully chose a book. A few minutes into the reading, Adriana said, "I like your voice." Alfred smiled and said, "Why, thank you." Meanwhile, I looked out the window, quietly listening. Eventually, Adriana piped up and asked the question I'd been dreading: "Mr. Batman, what happened to Daddy?" I turned. Alfred had stopped reading upon hearing the question, and Adriana and Brittany stared at me with pleading eyes. I sighed, crouching in front of them and saying, "He…helped me out. He was great." Adriana didn't push the subject when she saw the sad look in my eyes. "Okay, Mr. Batman," said Adriana quietly. Alfred asked, "Should I continue?" "Yes, please," said Brittany. Alfred continued reading as I went back to looking out the window, sighing and softly kicking the wall.

Eventually, Barbara and Dick walked in, hand in hand. While Barbara looked like she'd been crying, her countenance was considerably brighter. I looked over to them, asking, "You guys have a good talk?" Dick nodded, smiling. Barbara said, "Yes." "That's good," I said seriously, nodding slightly. I said to Barbara, "I'll take you home now, if that's all right." Barbara squeezed Dick's hand, saying, "That'll be fine." She looked at Adriana and Brittany, asking, "Are you ready to go?" Brittany said, "Yes, Au…big sister." Barbara smiled, walking over and hugging both of them. "All right," I said, walking out, "I'll let you say your goodbyes. Meet me in the Batcave." Alfred stood up and hugged Barbara. Barbara said, "I'll see you later, Alfred." "And you as well, Miss Gordon," responded Alfred. Barbara turned to Dick, hugging him tightly and whispering, "Bye, Richard." Dick smiled as Barbara kissed him on the cheek. Barbara separated, saying, "That wasn't out of pity, by the way." Dick laughed, saying, "That's good to hear. Thanks. See you, Barb." Barbara smirked, leading Adriana and Brittany by the hand, taking them to the Batcave. Before Dick walked back into his room, Alfred asked him, "Master Grayson, do you still think Miss Gordon is 'hot'?" "Nah," said Dick. "Really?" asked Alfred, raising his eyebrows. Dick answered, "Yeah. I think she's beautiful." Alfred chuckled lightly, and Dick smiled, walking back into his room.

When Barbara, Brittany, and Adriana walked into the Batcave, Barbara asked, "Mr. Wayne, why are we here? Couldn't you just take us home with your regular car?" "You'll understand eventually," I said, already in the Batman suit. "I'm going to take you girls to your new home," I said to Brittany and Adriana, "Are you ready?" They both nodded. I opened up the Batmobile for them. I got into the driver's seat, starting it up. "Why won't you tell us why you're taking us in the Batmobile?" asked Barbara, her brow furrowed. "Because you wouldn't let me take you if you knew," I said seriously. Barbara was still thoroughly confused, of course, but she didn't ask any further. We drove down the road on the way to the Gordons' house. It was odd and a little disconcerting to experience the quiet of the upper city when, not too long ago, we'd been in the middle of what was, in essence, a war. None of us said anything. We didn't feel like it. Eventually, we pulled up in front of the Gordons' house. "Thanks," said Barbara, getting out with the girls. "I'm going to be there in a minute," I said. "O-okay," said Barbara, unsure of what I needed to do. Barbara walked to the front door with the girls, knocking. The door opened to reveal Jim. He broke into tears of joy immediately, but he was taken off guard by the presence of Brittany and Adriana. Jim beckoned Barbara inside, and I heard happy yet worried voices coming from the front room. I let them talk for a little bit, and then made myself known.

In their house, the Gordons were resting and asking questions about what happened. Jim's wife, Sarah, seemed to be the most distressed of all. They heard their front door creak open, and suddenly, the front light was taken out. The outside light had been darkened as well. "I'm sorry about this," I said. Sarah stood, angry. "What do you want?!" she challenged. She walked right over to me. "What's the point of this?" she asked, seething. "I really am sorry, Mrs. Gordon," I said, "But I had to take off my mask for this. I know what you want to do." I gently took her hand and guided it to the side of my face. "Go ahead," I said quietly. Sarah swung around, slapping me hard in the face and crying softly. She did it twice more and stopped right before the fourth. "I don't want you near our kids!" she said, furious. "I understand," I said, handing her something. Jim got up, saying, "Sarah. I'm going to talk to him outside, okay?" "All right," she said quietly, walking away from me. Jim walked over just after I'd put my mask back on. He led me outside. "I already know," I said softly, "You don't want me to see Barbara again." "No, nothing like that," said Jim, "Sarah's been under a lot of stress. I know you're capable, and so is my daughter. It's not like I can stop her from going near you. It'd be pretty hard, at least. She's a sneaky one. If it means she'll be safe, then by all means, stay with her. But for now, just distance yourself. Sarah needs to calm down, and Barbara needs to rest." I nodded, saying, "I'm sorry. Mr. Wayne has already promised to provide her therapy, and Wayne Enterprises is about to launch a relief effort in the underground." Jim nodded as I walked back to the Batmobile.

"About Bruce Wayne," said Jim, "Are you guys childhood friends, or something?" "You could say that," I answered, "Go spend time with your family." Jim turned and walked back inside his house as I drove off. He asked his wife, "Honey, what did he hand to you?" "I haven't looked at it yet," Sarah answered. She handed it to him gingerly. He looked closely at it. It was a box of lightbulbs. Meanwhile, I was heading back to Wayne Manor. I had one more thing to do in the underground. With the fight being so intense, many casualties had resulted on both sides. This meant there was a massive clean-up operation going on that night. I drove into the underground, looking for the hotel where I'd fought with Two-Face. I found it eventually, seeing that the GPD was taking great lengths to clear out all the carnage, and they had help from the locals. I parked somewhere out of the way, slowly walking towards the spot where Harvey was shot. He was still there. In all the bustle, no one had noticed where he fell. The blood had pooled around his neck and dried. He was pale and cold. "I'm sorry, Harvey," I said quietly, picking up his body. A police officer noticed me, beginning, "Hey, what're…?" He stopped when he saw my expression. He let me walk off, and I carried Harvey to the Batmobile. As uncomfortable as it was, I placed him in the front passenger seat, after which I got in the driver's seat and drove off. I went to my destination, looking straight ahead the whole time.

I arrived at the local funeral home a few minutes later, knocking loudly. An older man walked up to the door, opening it. "Y-yes?" he asked nervously. "I have somebody who needs a proper burial," I said quietly. I went and got Harvey out of the car, carrying him into the funeral home. I looked at the man, saying, "Will you take him?" "I suppose," said the man, confused, "I was just preparing for some going on tomorrow, but I guess we have room for another. Right this way." I went where the man led me, setting Harvey down on a steel table. "I'll dress him up," said the man, "Now…isn't this Harvey Dent?" "Yes," I answered. "Were you friends?" asked the man. I responded, "I…wish we could've been." I smiled and finished, "Thank you, sir." The man looked Harvey over, saying, "Well, it's no big deal, really. I've been caring for these people for quite some time, now…" He tried to turn towards me, but I'd already gone. He chuckled softly, saying, "Thought you might do that." I'd gone back out to the Batmobile, driving off and ending the night going back to Wayne Manor. After I got the Batmobile into the Batcave and changed into regular clothes, I walked into the manor. Dick was inside watching the news, and just before he turned it off, I caught the anchor saying, "…In other news, local journalist Grace Lamont has just had her first child, a daughter. She hasn't decided on a name yet, but she's greatly considering Du…" Dick shut it off, asking, "Rough night?" "Yeah," I said. I walked over to him, sitting down on the couch next to him.

I asked him, "So, would it be appropriate for me to call Barbara your girlfriend now?" "Probably," said Dick, smirking, "We had a good talk." "You think you guys will make it?" I asked. He answered, "Oh, yeah. I can already see it. Me, standing there, feeling nervous, staring at a set of double doors, just waiting for Mr. Gordon to walk in with her." "You sure about that?" I asked jokingly, "That's a bit far ahead." "Ah, it's what, five, six years?" said Dick, "I figure it's not that much of a stretch." I ruffled Dick's hair, saying, "You know, maybe you're right. You'd better take care of her." "I know, or suffer the wrath of Jim, or something," said Dick, smiling wider. I paused for a few seconds. I said, "You know, I'm sorry about what I said, after Deathstroke attacked you. I realize now, you were doing something that I'd have done for someone I loved like you love her. You were angry at him. I understand now." Dick responded, "You don't need to apologize. It was warranted. I mean, sure, it was a nice way of showing my devotion, but it was stupid. If you weren't there, I'd be six feet under." I nodded slowly. I said, "I guess we're even, then." "Yeah," said Dick. We stayed silent, eventually cracking up. "It's pretty crazy, isn't it?" I said, "This whole thing." "I think it always will be," said Dick, "But no matter how crazy it gets, I have you and Barbara with me." "You mustn't forget the butler, now," said Alfred, leaning over the back of the couch. "You too, Alfred," said Dick, smiling at him. "Yeah," I said, "No matter how crazy it gets, we're family." "Right," said Dick, snapping his fingers, "The Bat Family!" I laughed, nodding. It was a good family name.

Meanwhile, Joseph and the army of disciples were finishing their move, and Joseph was sitting in his new office. Cerberus walked in, saying, "Sir, we've checked it out further. The underground cavern here will work." "Perfect," said Joseph, "I've begun to feel a little off without my baths. You know, now that we're almost settled in…call the Scarecrow." Cerberus gulped, saying, "Yes, sir." He dialed the number on his phone. A young, emotionless voice answered, "Yes?" Chills ran down Cerberus' spine as he answered, "It's time." "Fun," said Jonathan Crane, hanging up, "Lots of fun." He put his phone down, smiling, sitting at his desk.

COMING OCTOBER 3RD, 2015 – KNIGHT OF GOTHAM: RAGGED REAPER!

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO LOGANAUSTINGRASSO, ONE OF MY FIRST FOLLOWERS AND A HUGE PART OF THE FAN-MADE JL AU!

THANKS TO ALL MY FOLLOWERS!


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